The Tampa Bay Rays look to turn things around against the Detroit Tigers this afternoon, when Blake Snell (1-2, 3.54 ERA) takes on a surprisingly mortal Justin Verlander (7-6, 4.30 ERA).
Coming off a disappointing (yet dare I say expected) loss Friday night, Tampa Bay has allowed 10 runs to Detroit in back-to-back games — the first time that’s happened since September 24th and 25th of 2014 (vs. Boston). The biggest issue has been the bullpen, as the relief staff has a 9.74 ERA over the past 16 games (44-1/3 IP, 48 ER) while allowing runs in 15 of those games.
Snell has one of the Rays’ two wins in the last 16 games, while Verlander seeks the Tigers fifth win in a row. The lefty told reporters that he wants to throw more strikes, and is working on improving his fastball command. In his last three starts, Snell has walked and struck out 10.
Verlander struggled in his last outing, yielding eight earned runs on nine hits in 4-2/3 innings in a loss to Cleveland. That ended a string of four consecutive wins for him that had dropped his ERA from 4.11 to 3.78.
In his career against Tampa Bay, Verlander is 7-3 with a 3.49 ERA — he dominated the Rays in his only start against the team last season, giving up just one earned run in eight innings while fanning 10. He’s pitched well at the Trop over his career, going 4-2 with a 2.70 in seven starts in this ballpark. You can read about this afternoon’s pitching matchup in our series preview.
Rays 7/2/16 Starting Lineup
Forsythe 2B
Miller SS
Longoria 3B
Morrison 1B
Guyer CF
Souza RF
Dickerson DH
Arcia LF
Casali C
Snell LHP
Noteworthiness
— The Rays announced a roster move following Friday’s contest since Steven Souza Jr. (strained left hip) was activated from the 15-day disabled list. He is in the lineup this afternoon, hitting sixth.
Despite his versatility both in the infield and outfield, UTL Taylor Motter was optioned to Triple-A Durham to make room for Souza. …Not Tim Beckham, who is less toolsy, but Motter. Go figure.
The #Rays will activate OF @SouzaJr from the DL tomorrow and option UTL Taylor Motter to Triple-A @DurhamBulls.
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 2, 2016
— Of note, Detroit’s lineup does not feature Miguel Cabrera, who gets the day off. Too bad Maybin can’t also have the day off.