After another 3-2 loss on the south side of Chicago, the Tampa Bay Rays look to salvage the series finale this afternoon. A win would move them back to .500 on the season.
Tampa Bay has dropped four straight and five of the last six after a 4-1 start to the season. They’ve also dropped five consecutive road games extending back to 2021. The Rays will use JP Feyereisen (0.00) as the opener today; he will pitch in front of Tommy Romero. Feyereisen has yet to allow a run over four appearances across 3.1 innings.
It is not clear whether Tampa Bay will make an addition to the bullpen before the game. Yesterday, they acquired hard-throwing right-hander Javy Guerra (we will have more on him later) from San Diego for cash considerations. Guerra, who has spent parts of the last five seasons in the big leagues, was designated for assignment by the Padres on April 12th. He debuted as a position player in May 2018 before converting to a pitcher during spring training in 2019.
Shane Baz was moved to the 60-day Injured List to make room for Guerra. This means Baz cannot return to the active roster until early June (the 7th, to be exact) which allows the Rays to get him fully stretched out as a starter before activating him. When Guerra is added, a 28-man roster move will need to be made.
The New What Next
Tommy Romero (0-0, 13.20 ERA) will pitch out of the bulk role this afternoon, pitching opposite of Vince Velasquez (0-0, 2.25 ERA).
Tommy Romero allowed three runs on two hits and five walks across 1.2 frames on Tuesday against the Athletics. He had one strikeout. All the damage was done on a hanging slider that found its way out of the field of play. The 5/1 BB/K was also uncharacteristic for a rookie hurler who, over his career, had performed to a 4/1 K/BB. The wildness was something of an anomaly for Romero, who tried to be too fine with his pitches instead of attacking the zone. If he can tunnel his fastball and 12-6 slider, he will be effective (and eat innings) against both left-handed and right-handed hitters. Romero posted an 8-2 record in the minors last season with a 2.61 ERA. Baseball America ranked called him the No. 21 prospect in Tampa Bay’s organization and that he has the “best control” in the organization.
Vince Velasquez allowed one run on two hits and three walks over four innings on Tuesday against the Mariners. He struck out two. The 29-year-old was targeting four innings for his White Sox debut Tuesday, and he covered exactly that with only 62 pitches. He surrendered a solo home run to Eugenio Suarez in the second inning but otherwise held down Seattle, although he did have some control issues with three walks. It was a strong start for the right-hander who should remain a part of Chicago’s starting rotation for the foreseeable future with Lance Lynn (knee) and Lucas Giolito (abdomen) on the Injured List. He relies primarily on a whiffy 94 mph four-seam fastball and a fly-ball inducing 85 mph slider, while also mixing in a 92 mph sinker and an 89 mph hard changeup. Velasquez is 0-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (2-3, 2B), Francisco Mejia (1-2, 3B, RBI, BB), Brett Phillips (1-1, RBI, BB), Harold Ramirez (2-6, HR, 3 RBI, BB)
You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup is below.
Rays 4/17/22 Starting Lineup
- B. Lowe 2B
- Franco SS
- Arozarena DH
- Choi 1B
- Diaz 3B
- J. Lowe LF
- Margot RF
- Kiermaier CF
- Mejia C