The Tampa Bay Rays are in salvage mode this afternoon after dropping three straight games in New York. The Yankees have won seven consecutive games, while the Rays have lost the first three of an 11-game trip, and six of their past seven. Tampa Bay now is winless in seven road series.
The New What Next
Matt Andriese (6-7, 4.58 ERA) will get the start for the Rays, opposite of Luis Cessa (4-0, 4.07 ERA)
Andriese was pounded by Baltimore on Monday, surrendering seven runs on nine hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out seven in the loss. The righty hasn’t fared well lately, as he’s allowed 14 runs over his last two starts. Andriese had an impressive 2.77 ERA in the first half of the season, but watched as his ERA ballooned to an ugly 4.58.
Cessa looks to remain unbeaten in his fifth Major League start after going 2-0 with a 3.09 ERA through the first four. He, however, has been susceptible to the long ball, surrendering 10 homers in 42 big league innings. Cessa has allowed six earned runs on eight hits and two walks over seven combined innings of work against Tampa Bay this season.
You can read more about the pitching matchup in our series preview.
Rays 9/11/16 Starting Lineup
Forsythe 2B
Kiermaier CF
Longoria 3B
Miller SS
Morrison 1B
Franklin LF
Dickerson DH
Souza Jr. RF
Maile C
Andriese RHP
Noteworthiness
— The Rays again went yard yesterday afternoon, combining for seven homers in the three games of this series (all solo shots). They have 191 homers on the season, nine shy of a new single season franchise record.
— RHP Chase Whitley is expected to take the mound this afternoon for the first time since suffering an injury that necessitated Tommy John surgery on May 14, 2015. Of course his presumed outing is filled with irony, as Whitley last pitched in an MLB game for the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field against his current team.
In an interview with Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), the right-hander noted his appreciation for the Rays training staff, who helped him get back to this point:
It’s just an incredible blessing to be able to be back. Nothing is ever guaranteed, especially throughout this process. It’s tested my faith, and I know I’ve grown in the last year. It’s such an incredible honor to be back. It’s such a long road. At any point you go in for surgery, it’s never a minor surgery when it’s on you. Even though I was around a lot of supportive people, and everyone told me with the work ethic and whatever you’d be back, but you can never count on it. You can never take for granted your health.
From every aspect of the whole process, it’s been an unbelievable blessing just to be around (Rays head athletic trainer Ron Porterfield) and those guys, to the way I’ve been treated and to get to know (fellow rehabbing starter) Alex (Cobb) on a personal level and how hard he works and how much fun he is to be around.
— More often than not this season, LHP Enny Romero has gotten himself in trouble because of his ability to command the strike zone. However, the opposite was true yesterday afternoon…Romero had a hard time throwing balls.
Romero threw a pitch too close to the zone, turning what was supposed to be an intentional walk of Gary Sanchez into a 400 foot, run-scoring sacrifice fly.
Rays manager Kevin Cash was not pleased with the errant pitch, saying,
I’m not really going to talk about it other than to say it’s embarrassing. That’s embarrassing.
For his part, Romero was aware of the game-plan with a pair of runners in scoring position and no outs. However, his execution of said game-plan failed because the ball slipped from his sweaty hand.
I go to throw my pitch and the ball falls out of my hand, the southpaw said. That’s why I throw it like (that). I was angry with me because I don’t want to throw that pitch in the zone. …The ball was a little bit off my hand and then I throw. I can’t stop. If I stop it’s balk anyway.
Per Topkin, Yankees manager Joe Girardi claimed they were aware of the possibility for a misfire given Romero’s troubles throwing to first base.
And so it goes…