After dropping three consecutive games, the Tampa Bay Rays look to salvage one last home game on Wednesday before they hit the road, hoping to finish with a .500 home stand. Baltimore shellacked the Rays 11-2 yesterday, and are now 11-3 against Tampa Bay this season.
The New What Next
Drew Smyly (6-11, 4.94 ERA) allowed five runs on seven hits over five innings on Wednesday, striking out four and walking two. All the runs allowed came off two home runs. First, Xander Bogaerts hit a solo shot, then Hanley Ramirez hit a grand slam on the first pitch of a bases loaded at-bat. The southpaw has only faced Baltimore once this season, although he gave up eight runs in that game, including a first-inning grand slam to Chris Davis.
Dylan Bundy (8-5, 3.47 ERA) will start for Baltimore. Bundy threw 5-2/3 scoreless innings on Friday, allowing two hits and four walks while fanning five Yankees. Buddy has had some location issues — he collected 33 strikeouts and five walks in his first five starts, but has just 20 strikeouts and 15 walks in his last five outings. The Rays tagged him for four runs on 5 hits over 3-1/3 innings back on July 17th. Key matchups: Evan Longoria (1-3, HR, RBI), Brad Miller (2-3, HR, RBI), Logan Morrison (1-3), Steven Souza Jr. (1-2)
Rays 9/7/16 Starting Lineup
Forsythe 2B
Kiermaier CF
Longoria 3B
Miller 1B
Mahtook RF
Morrison DH
Franklin SS
Dickerson LF
Maile C
Smyly LHP
Noteworthiness
— Logan Forsythe collected his 500th hit of his career, a first inning homer (18; a career high).
— Kevin Kiermaier looks to extend his hitting streak to 11 after he collected a hit and two walks last night. Kiermaier now has successfully swiped 14 consecutive bags after picking up a stolen base in the loss.
— SS Matt Duffy is not in the lineup this afternoon. Since the Tampa Bay Rays are expected to shut Duffy down after today’s ballgame, ahead of his pre-scheduled foot surgery in North Carolina this weekend, we likely will not see any more of the infielder this season.
The season-ending surgery — which will alleviate the pressure that’s causing the pain in his left heel — will address the lingering soreness that stems from an earlier left Achilles injury, which also has been exacerbated by Tropicana Field’s hard surface.
We were going to wait until the end of the season, Duffy said, but where we’re at, I think it makes sense to give it a couple of extra weeks to make sure we’re 100 percent ready to go come spring training.
Duffy is expected to complete his rehab by December, allowing him to go through his normal off-season activity and be ready for the start of Spring Training.