After clinching their current series over Boston on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays have a chance for a perfect homestand on Sunday. The Rays can make it eight consecutive wins overall with a victory on Sunday, not to mention a 7-0 stretch at the Trop. Tampa Bay has never had a perfect homestand involving multiple series in franchise history.
Some other points to consider:
- Tampa Bay is now eight games over .500 for the first time this season.
- The Rays have won two series against the Red Sox this season, joining just Oakland for the same claim. New York, Houston, Seattle, Chicago, and Minnesota have all beaten Boston just once.
- They have victories against the Sox than any other team in baseball this season (7).
- They have limited Boston to nine runs over the last four games (2.25 RPG).
- At nine games out in the Wildcard race, the Rays are still playing relevant baseball with 32 games left to play.
The New What Next
Cy Young Award candidate Blake Snell (15-5, 2.07 ERA) will make the start for the Rays, pitching opposite of former teammate Nathan Eovaldi (5-5, 3.81 ERA).
Blake Snell tossed six innings of one-run ball on Tuesday against the Royals, allowing four hits and one walk with 11 strikeouts. Snell threw 66 percent of his pitches for strikes and induced 23 whiffs (35% SwStr) as he recorded his second highest punchout total of the season. Snell limited baserunners to great effect and was only scored upon via a fifth-inning solo home run in the fifth inning. Snell had failed to top five innings in any of his three previous turns on the mound since returning from the DL, so the 101-pitch effort was a good indicator that he is back to full strength.
This will be the fourth time this season that Snell will face the Red Sox. In the first three starts, he has allowed two runs total across 19 innings.
Nathan Eovaldi allowed four runs on 10 hits and one walk while fanning two over 5-1/3 innings on Tuesday against Cleveland. The one-time Ray took the loss. Eovaldi’s first two starts in Boston were excellent, yet he has now given up 27 hits and three walks while allowing nine earned across his last three outings (13 innings of work). He also has struck out only seven over that span. When Eovaldi is on, he’s great. When he’s off, he can get shelled. Key Matchup: Carlos Gomez (4-11, 2 2B, 2 BB)
Rays 8/26/18 Starting Lineup
MENDLE 2B
DUFFMAN 3B
JI DH
PHAMTASTIC LF
JB 1B
OUTLAW CF
THE KID SS
LOWE RF
MYKII C
ZILLA LHP
You can read about the series in our preview.
The New What Next: Rays vs Red Sox — one last time with feeling
Noteworthiness
— Tommy Pham hit his first homer as a Ray last night (No. 15 overall), crushing a 422-foot no-doubter to put Tampa Bay up by three runs.
— Mallex Smith update:
Smith remains in a local hospital with a viral infection that put him on the 10-day DL, although he is in better spirits.
Rays skipper Kevin Cash visited Smith on Saturday, saying,
I talked to him today. He’s in better spirits. Doing OK. I think he’s going to have a lengthy process, probably, of getting back. But he’s seemed night-and-day different from where he was last night as opposed to basically, 11:30ish (a.m. Saturday).
It’s just a viral infection. Seeing him, I was overly impressed and thrilled with his well-being. I know his family has already landed and headed to the hospital. Hopefully, he’ll be out of there within the next 48 hours.
— Is Snell having the best pitching season in Rays history? Does he deserve to win the Cy Young Award? Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) posed that very question, noting some points to consider:
* No Rays fulltime starter has had a lower ERA than Snell’s 2.07 or allowed a lower batting average than his .182.
* Only four times has a Rays pitcher won more than Snell’s 15 thus far, topped by David Price’s 20 in his 2012 Cy Young season.
* Only Chris Archer (three times) and Scott Kazmir averaged more than Snell’s 10.36 strikeouts per nine.
More advanced:
* Only four times has a Rays starter compiled a higher WAR (a catch-all stat to reflect accumulating overall value in terms of wins added) than Snell’s 5.2 thus far.
* No Rays starter has had a higher ERA+ for a season than his 196 (with 100 as league average and park adjusted).
* Only five (including Price three times) have had lower FIP rates (fielding independent pitching, keyed to preventing homers and walks while getting strikeouts) than his 3.28.
— Because it bears mentioning: