After falling to Toronto on Saturday, 3-1, the Tampa Bay Rays look to finish the home stand on a winning note when they face the Blue Jays for the final time of the regular season.
At 84-68, Tampa Bay enters play 16 games above .500 and looking to rejoin Toronto atop the American League Wildcard standings once again with 10 games left to play.
Randy Arozarena and Wander Franco look to continue their respective hot streaks. Big Randy is 9-16 with 8 RBI over his last four games — all of which have been multi-hit performances. Meanwhile, Franco looks to extend his career-long 11-game hitting streak past today.
The New What Next
Shane McClanahan (12-6, 2.36 ERA) will get the ball Sunday, pitching opposite Ross Stripling (8-4, 3.21 ERA).
Shane McClanahan exited Tuesday’s contest with neck tightness/spasms, although he expects to make his next turn through the rotation. In the outing, McClanahan allowed five runs on five hits with four walks and three strikeouts over four innings. McClanahan lobbied to stay in the contest but was removed for precautionary reasons, which is understandable given it was only his second start since he returned from the Injured List. Overall, he’s pitched to a 2.36 ERA and a 2.74 KBB, with a 0.90 WHIP, and a 5.43 K/BB over 156.1 innings. McClanahan has been very good against Toronto this season, allowing just one run on six hits and one walk while striking out 15.
Ross Stripling allowed five runs on nine hits while striking out three in four innings on Tuesday in Philadelphia. This, after he allowed just one run across 6.1 innings against the Rays on September 14. Stripling entered the bottom of the fifth inning with the Blue Jays leading 7-1. In the fifth, he allowed the first five batters to record hits, including Dalton Guthrie’s first big-league blast, before being replaced. The poor showing ended a streak of 13 starts that Stripling did not allow more than three earned runs. He’s allowed six long balls in his last five starts after allowing just two homers in his previous eight turns. Overall, he’s pitched to a 3.21 ERA and a 3.21 KBB, with a 1.03 WHIP, and a 5.25 K/BB over 123.1 innings. Tampa Bay has tagged Stripling for five runs (four earned) on 10 hits (including two homers) across 11.0 combined innings. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (2-8, 5 BB), Manuel Margot (9-23, 3 2B, 3 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB), Francisco Mejía (2-5, 2B, RBI, BB), Isaac Paredes (2-4, 2B), David Peralta (10-24, 5 2B, 3 RBI, 3 BB), Harold Ramírez (3-11, 2 HR, 3 RBI)
You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup is below.
Rays 9/25/22 Starting Lineup
- Margot RF
- Arozarena LF
- Franco SS
- Ramirez 1B
- Paredes 3B
- Peralta DH
- Bethancourt C
- Siri CF
- Walls 2B
Noteworthiness
— The Rays received bad news on Saturday, formally announcing that 2B Brandon Lowe (lower back discomfort) will be shut down for the rest of the season, while Shane Baz will undergo Tommy John surgery and be out all next season.
Lowe is not expected to require surgery to address his back issue, which kept him out for 55 games previously this season. Rays skipper Kevin Cash said Lowe’s back “just wasn’t responding” to treatment including a battery of injections.
Give him credit. He went and got more injections than anybody would want. It’s a 24- to 48-hour turnaround (after the injections) and you know right away if you’re good or if you’re not — and he just did not respond. So hopefully we can get him right. … But I think, at this point, rest is key.
— Kevin Cash
Baz, who hasn’t pitched since July 10, attempted to throw a 15-pitch bullpen session yesterday. Cash said his injured elbow “just did not respond, didn’t feel good.” The procedure will sideline the 23-year-old starter for the rest of this season and all of the 2023 campaign barring some sort of a miracle Glasnow-like recovery.
There was some good news for Tampa Bay on the injury front. Tyler Glasnow is slated to rejoin the rotation next week in Cleveland after completing his rehab from Tommy John surgery with four dominant starts for Triple-A Durham.
In his most recent start, on Friday, Glasnow put up a 2.2 IP/0 H/1 BB/6K line on 46 pitches (26 strikes, 57% strike rate). The right-hander fell behind four of the last six hitters, yet he rallied to retire three of the four.
Overall, his fastball sat in the 97-98 mph range across his four rehab outings in which he allowed just one run on one hit and four walks with 14 combined strikeouts across 14 frames.