After a 9-8 loss on Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays look to bounce back against the Red Sox, on Saturday.
At 69-56 on the season, the Rays enter play 13 games over .500 and maintain the top American League Wildcard spot by 0.5 games over the Mariners and Blue Jays, who are tied for the second Wildcard spot with 36 games left to play.
Ryan Yarbrough took a step back after a pair great outings, allowing five runs on eight hits across 3.1 innings. He struck out three. In so doing, the left-hander was optioned to Triple-A Durham to create a spot for Garrett Cleavinger on the active roster. Yarbrough took over in the second inning after JT Chargois put up a scoreless start, and promptly gave up a run in the frame. He then gave up two runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings. Yarbrough had tossed 8.1 scoreless frames over his previous two outings but his ERA now sits at 4.87 through 16 appearances, with a 4.49 FIP (4.64 xFIP), a 3.00 K/BB, and a 1.38 WHIP.
The left-handed Cleavinger was acquired at the trade deadline. He has struck out 17 batters in nine innings with Triple-A Durham. With off days on Monday and Thursday, Tampa Bay won’t need a fifth starter until the next series with Boston (September 5-7).
Because of Yarbough’s dud, Tampa Bay allowed nine runs for the first time since a 10-3 loss against Baltimore on August 12th. They won 11 of the next 13, so a freakout over one loss probably isn’t warranted. It was just the third loss against Boston this season in 11 games for the Rays.
The New What Next
Jeffrey Springs (6-3, 2.46 ERA) will get the start Saturday, pitching opposite former Ray Rich Hill (5-5, 4.68 ERA).
Jeffrey Springs allowed one run on five hits and three walks over 5.2 innings against the Angels on Monday. He struck out seven. Springs was effective again, and now has four consecutive starts of five or more innings and two or fewer runs allowed. He also struck out more than a batter per inning for the second time in his last three starts. Monday’s three walks was the first time that he walked more than two batters since May 21, so it is reasonable to assume the lag in command was an outlier. All told, Springs maintains a 2.46 ERA and a 3.18 FIP, with a 5.64 K/BB, and a 1.08 WHIP over 95.0 innings. Springs is 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA in two outings (one start) against the Red Sox this season.
Rich Hill allowed two runs on three hits and zero walks over five innings against Pittsburgh on August 17. He struck out four. Hill surrendered a two-run home run to outfielder Bryan Reynolds with nobody out in the first inning but otherwise kept Pittsburgh off the board. He, however, has been far better on the road with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP over 52.1 innings compared to a 6.82 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP in 30.1 innings at Fenway. Dick Mountain has not been built for longevity this season, as he has pitched five innings or more just eight times in 18 starts. Overall, he maintains a 4.68 ERA and a 4.31 FIP, with a 2.63 K/BB, and a 1.31 WHIP over 82.2 innings. Hill kept the Rays off the board across four innings in his previous start against his one-time team. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (1-2), Ji-Man Choi (2-3), Brandon Lowe (1-2), David Peralta (5-17, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, BB), Harold Ramírez (1-3), Taylor Walls (1-1, BB)
You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.
Rays 8/27/22 Starting Lineup
- Díaz DH
- Margot RF
- Arozarena LF
- Ramírez 1B
- Paredes 3B
- Bethancourt C
- Chang 2B
- Walls SS
- Siri CF
Noteworthiness
— Right-hander Matt Wisler threw a 1-2-3 inning in a rehab outing for Triple-A Durham on Friday. Right-hander, Nick Anderson — recently optioned to Durham — had a perfect inning, too.
— The Rays and Tyler Glasnow have agreed to a contract extension through 2024, the team announced on Friday.
Glasnow will get $5.35 million next season and $25 million in 2024, which is the first season he would have been eligible for free agency.
It seems to be like such a good partnership. I’m glad I can just sit here and talk about it. This is such an awesome opportunity in a place I really want to be. I don’t want to leave yet, I’m not ready to go. I’m exactly where I want to be. …It gives me a lot of confidence to know they put that faith in me and they’re willing to give me a contract of this size. I want this to be like in a sense like a discount. I want to outperform it by a lot.
— Tyler Glasnow
The right-hander could earn $ 1 million for winning the Cy Young Award, $500-thousand for winding up second, and $ 250 thousand for finishing third to fifth. There is also a $50,000 bonus for making the All-Star team and a $1 million assignment bonus if traded.
Glasnow underwent Tommy John surgery on August 4, 2021, and last appeared for the Rays on June 14, 2021.
He threw 21 pitches to a pair of minor leaguers before Tuesday’s contest and topped out at 97 mph. Glasnow departed Friday to join Triple-A Durham where he will continue throwing live BP sessions.
If everything continues to go well, Glasnow could be nearing a Minor League rehab assignment. With the end of the regular season just over a month away, paired with how he feels and recovers after those outings, he hasn’t ruled out a return this season.
I think it’s like easy to be very optimistic. I felt really good, my velo was good, execution was good, but again, if I’m not comfortable and I don’t feel like 100% and ready to go, then I’m not. I’m not going to push it. It’s going to be the hardest thing for me to come to the decision. I really do want to come back. I want to help the team, especially the position we’re in, but I’m not going to jeopardize the rest of my career.
— Tyler Glasnow
A healthy Glasnow re-joining the Rays’ rotation would give the team a potent top-tier rotation just in time for the postseason.