The Tampa Bay Rays enter the final game of a three-game road set, in Boston, in salvage mode this afternoon after dropping two straight to the Red Sox.
At 69-57 on the season, the Rays enter play 12 games over .500 and still maintaining the top AL Wildcard spot by 0.5 games since both Seattle and Toronto lost on Saturday as well.
Today wraps up a stretch of 17 consecutive games without an off-day, during which Tampa Bay is 11-5.
Tampa Bay used just one reliever on Saturday, so the ‘pen should be well rested going into the off-day, should today’s starter get eaten by the BABIP luck dragon like Ryan Yarbrough and Jeffrey Springs before them.
The New What Next
Corey Kluber (8-7, 4.20 ERA) will get the start in the finale, pitching opposite Nick Pivetta (9-9, 4.24 ERA).
Corey Kluber got the start on Tuesday and scattered just five hits and did not walk a batter while striking out three. He surrendered just one run and threw 54 of 78 pitches for strikes (69% strike rate). Kluber allowed just three singles over the first five frames — one of them an infield knock. Mike Trout crushed a one-out homer to left in the sixth inning, cutting the Rays lead to a run, however, the Rays gave their hurlers (and catcher cosplaying as a pitcher) more than enough run support. After allowing a two-out hit, Kluber got Taylor Ward to line out to José Siri in center, ending his night. All told, Kluber owns a 4.20 ERA and a 3.50 FIP, with a 6.33 K/BB, and a 1.16 WHIP across 128.2 innings. He is 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA in three starts against Boston this season.
Nick Pivetta allowed two runs on six hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out nine over 5.2 innings against the Orioles on Sunday. Both runs against Pivetta came in the first inning. He fell one out short of his third consecutive quality start. Pivetta has pitched to a 4.24 ERA and a 3.99, with a 1.29 WHIP, and a 2.73 K/BB through 142.1 innings (25 starts) this season. Superlatives aside, Pivetta allowed seven runs on eight hits and two walks across 5.2 innings against the Rays in his previous turn against them. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (2-6, 2B, BB), Yandy Díaz (3-9, 3 2B, 2 BB), Brandon Lowe (3-6, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB), Isaac Paredes (1-3), David Peralta (2-5), Harold Ramírez (3-5, 3B)
You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup is below.
Rays 8/28/22 Starting Lineup
- Díaz 3B
- Margot RF
- Peralta DH
- Ramírez 1B
- Arozarena LF
- Paredes 2B
- Walls SS
- Bethancourt C
- Siri CF