After a 4-1 win over the Royals on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays have a chance to move five games over .500 for the first time this season tonight. Tampa Bay has won the first two games of the four-game set with Kansas City and is relinquishing just one run along the way.
Reinstated from the DL on Thursday, Tommy Pham left the Rays last nights game after dislocating his right ring finger. The finger was popped back into place and X-rays were negative. Pham is as day-to-day and will be able to play again once the swelling is reduced.
Just whenever I can get the swelling out, said Pham, when asked about the plan going forward. “I’m going to go home and try and keep my hand active to reduce the swelling. But it’s a day-to-day thing. Really.
Pham said he did not think he would be going on the disabled list:
Lucky, Pham said. Lucky. I thought I broke it: my finger was pointed in the other direction.
The New What Next
Ryne Stanek (1-3, 2.68 ERA) will open for the Rays on Wednesday and is expected to be followed by Yonny Chirinos (1-5, 3.96 ERA). They’ll be opposed by Jakob Junis (6-11, 4.76 ERA).
Stanek pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Monday, throwing just eight pitches. He did allow two runs the last time he opened against the Red Sox in Boston.
Chirinos was the pitcher of record in Friday’s 7-3 loss to the Red Sox, as he got tagged for five runs on nine hits and a walk over six innings of work while striking out one. Chirinos was only able to limit the damage for a couple of innings before the floodgates opened. The 24-year-old had been sharp in his prior two appearances against the sad-sack Orioles and White Sox, but the Red Sox offense proved to be too much for him to handle, tagging him for runs in four of his six innings of work.
Junis gave up two runs on five hits across 5-1/3 innings Friday, striking out five and walking three. Junis pitched well enough for the win but was let down by the Royals bullpen, which relinquished seven runs in the seventh inning. Junis is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP over his last four starts while recording 26 strikeouts across 22 innings. In spite of that, the right-hander has a 4.76 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP, but a 3.18 K/BB in 132-1/3 innings. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against the Rays, totaling 6-1/3 innings of work. Key Matchups: Kevin Kiermaier (1-3, BB)
Rays 8/22/18 Starting Lineup
Smith LF
Duffy 3B
Choi DH
Cron 1B
Kiermaier CF
Adames SS
Perez C
Gomez RF
Lowe 2B
Stanek RHP
You can read about the series in our preview.
The New What Next: Rays vs Royals part two — a series preview
Noteworthiness
— Vidal Nuno threw three scoreless innings for the Charlotte Stone Crabs on Tuesday, allowing three hits while striking out four with no walks. Nuno, who’s expected to rejoin the Rays in September, is to be stretched out to four innings and 60 pitches.
— CJ Cron has cleared irrevocable waivers, which means he could be traded by August 31st to any team and be eligible for postseason play. It, however, also means no team claimed him for the minimal money (around $500,000) remaining of his $2.3-million salary.
Scouts from a half-dozen contenders were at Tropicana Field on Tuesday, although RHP Sergio Romo— whom the Rays reportedly don’t seem to want to move — and/or some Royals could also be their targets.
— MLB released the 2019 schedule today. The Rays will Rays open the season at home on March 28 with a four-game series against the Astros.
Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) highlighted some notables, bulleted below:
- In interleague home games, the Rays will host the Rockies April 1-3, the D-backs May 6-8, the Dodgers May 21-22 (in a two-day homestand), the Marlins Aug, 3-4 (with an off day on Friday, Aug. 2).
- In interleague road games, the Rays will visit the Giants April 5-7, the Marlins May 14-15, the Padres Aug. 12-14, the Dodgers Sept. 17-18.
- The first road trip, one of four that includes a visit to the west coast, will be taxing as they go to San Francisco, Chicago and Toronto. There are three other three-city trips as well.
- The Friday Aug. 2 off-day in advance of hosting the Marlins is part of a new MLB idea to create more interest in some interleague rival series that are usually two-game sets by moving them to the weekend.
- The oddest stretch of the schedule may be in mid-May when the Rays play at the Marlins May 14-15 and the Yankees May 17-19, then come home for two games against the Dodgers (May 21-22) and head right back out for a four-game series in Cleveland.
- Also of note: The Rays make all three visits to New York by mid-July, play both LA teams on the same trip (Sept. 13-15 at the Angels, 17-18 at the Dodgers), play in New York on June 19 and Oakland June 20.