X-Rays Spex

A Below Average Rays Fan Blog

LBWMF: Rays look for the sweep after they beat up on the Orioles, 10-5

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Make that 10 wins in a row at home, and 12 of their last 15 overall. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays scratched across five early runs in the first two innings of Saturday’s contest against the Orioles, then continued to add to the lead as the game progressed. For the second straight day, the Rays scored double-digit runs as they won a 10th consecutive home game, beating Baltimore 10–5. Tampa Bay starts the day 13 games over .500 for the first time this season, eight games back of the Athletics in the Wildcard race, and just 1/2 game behind the Mariners who stand between the Rays and Oakland.

The Rays started their scoring in the opening frame after Mallex Smith reached on a two-base throwing error by third baseman Renato Nunez. Smith advanced to third on Joey Wendle’s fly-ball out to right before David Hess uncorked a Carly Rae Jepsen like wild pitch that bounded toward first base.

Next up was Tommy Pham, who tripled to right. Ji-Man Choi sacrificed Pham home on a fly-ball to center — putting the Rays up by two — before Kevin Kiermaier, Willy Adames and Jake Bauers hit back-to-back-to-back singles, plating the third run. With runners at the corners, Bauers broke for second with Brandon Lowe at the plate. Bauers pumped the brakes and stayed hung-up between first and second long enough for Adames to cross the plate, capping the scoring.

The weirdness continued in the second inning when Brandon Lowe hit a double off the B-Ring catwalk that fell back into fair play. Nick Ciuffo reached after being hit in the foot by a wayward slider. Then, with Lowe breaking from third on the pitch, Joey Wendle laid down a perfectly placed suicide bunt for the fifth run of the game.

Baltimore attempted a comeback effort, however, getting to within a pair of runs in the third inning. Ryan Yarbrough allowed a one-out walk to Cedric Mullins, and a bloop double to right to Joey Rickard. Jonathan Villar reached on an infield hit, as Mullins scored to make it a four-run game. Then in the fourth, Tim Beckham reached on a one-out infield hit, and Renato Nunez hit a two-run two-out homer to left, making it 5-3.

In the top of the fifth, Ciuffo both bailed out Adames and showed off his rocket of an arm. Rickard slapped a slow roller into the hole between third and short. Adames was able to make a backhanded stop, yet his throw was well wide of first. Ciuffo hustled down the line to back up the throw, corralled the ball in front of the dugout and nailed Rickard with a perfect throw as he attempted to move up to second.

All told, Yarbrough allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks across 3-2/3 innings of work, although he was able to pick up his 14th win of the season — the most in the Majors for a rookie.

Just really trying to find some rhythm out there, and falling behind some guys, so obviously not a recipe for success, said Yarbrough on his pitching performance. Obviously, you’ve got to focus on it a little bit and work on the bullpen and get after it. But yeah, I was just falling behind guys and trying to get some rhythm and it just kind of didn’t get there.

Nevertheless, Tampa Bay was able to push the lead back to four runs in the sixth inning. Adames doubled to left, chasing Hess, and Bauers sacrificed him to third against southpaw Tanner Scott. Adames scored when Scott uncorked the second wild pitch of the ballgame. After Duffy, Ciuffo, and Smith hit another triplet of singles, Wendle came up with a bases-loaded sacrifice-fly giving the Rays a four-run cushion.

Yet knowing that all teeters must totter, Baltimore made it 7-5 in the seventh inning on a two-run single by Villar. Be that as it may, Tampa Bay came right back with three more runs. Matt Duffy delivered a bases-loaded single to make it 9-5, while Smith capped the scoring with an RBI single of his own.

We’ve kind of got to the point where we really believe in ourselves, Duffy said. We feel like we are flying under the radar with some of those other teams in the American League, but we think we can beat anyone. We truly believe that and we carry that confidence with us every day.

At the end of the day, Tampa Bay collected double-digit hits and runs for the second consecutive day, although this time without the benefit of a homer. Eight Tampa Bay hurlers combined for the victory.

The New What Next

Ryne Stanek (2-3, 2.65 ERA) will open the series finale on Sunday, likely ahead of Yonny Chirinos (3-5, 3.76 ERA). They’ll be opposed by southpaw Josh Rogers (1-1, 4.35 ERA) who will take the mound in place of Alex Cobb, the former Ray that is dealing with a blister.

Stanek came out of the bullpen on Saturday to get one out. The right-hander has given up six of the 18 runs he’s allowed against Baltimore, while five of the six homers he’s given up came against the Orioles.

Chirinos put together another one of those spotty nights where he looked both terrible and terrific. His first inning was so bad, laboring through 25 pitches including back to back walks — and forcing Rays skipper Kevin Cash to get the bullpen warmed up early — then, with a refocused verve, zipped through the next six innings on just 47 pitches. When all was said and done, Chirinos threw seven innings of one-run ball, allowing just four hits, but three walks, on 72 efficient pitches (42 strikes, 58% strikes, 10.3 pitches per inning). The right-hander coaxed 12 ground balls, including three double plays.

Rogers was traded from New York in the Zach Britton deal. The left-hander gave up two runs across 5-1/3 innings at Seattle in a 2–1 defeat on September 3rd.

Rays 9/9/18 Starting Lineup

Smith LF
Pham DH
Duffy 3B
Cron 1B
Kiermaier CF
Adames SS
Lowe 2B
Gomez RF
Sucre C
Stanek RHP

You can read about the series in our preview.

The New What Next: Rays vs Orioles — one last series preview

LBWMF: Rays trounce Orioles, 14-2, look to win series on Saturday

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The Rays scored 14 runs Friday night, thanks in part to four home runs, including a Ji-Man Choi grand slam. (Photo Credit: X-Rays Spex)

Nick Ciuffo, Kevin Kiermaier, Tommy Pham and Ji-Man Choi teamed up to hit four home runs on Friday as the Tampa Bay Rays cruised to a 14-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles, who lost for the 100th time this season. 14 runs were more than enough for Blake Snell, who picked up his 18th win of the season. and the Rays.

The Rays have now won nine consecutive home games (42-24 at home overall), and are 30-8 in their last 38 games at Tropicana Field. The nine straight home wins are three shy of a franchise record.

Snell threw five innings of scoreless ball on 90 pitches but was chased in the sixth after giving up a one-out infield hit to Cedric Mullins, then a two-run homer to Joey Rickard. It was Rickard’s fourth homer against Tampa Bay this season, giving him 17 of his 23 total runs batted in against the Rays. All told, Snell struck fanned nine and allowed five hits across 5-1/3 innings and 104 pitches (72 strikes, 69% strike rate, 15/20 first-pitch strikes).

I felt like I was around the zone, for the most part, Snell said. The offense did very well. Gave me a quick lead. All credit goes to them.

Meanwhile, the Rays took the lead for good in the second inning against the right-hander Dylan Bundy. With two outs, Willy Adames lined a single to left-field before Jake Bauers walked. Ciuffo, batting for the first time at the Trop, homered to right, putting Tampa Bay up by three with one swing of the bat.

An inning later, Ji-Man Choi and Tommy Pham walked with one out. Yet Joey Wendle ground into an almost double play which would have ended the threat. He, however, beat out the throw to first, keeping the frame alive. Kiermaier, who reached in the first inning on a bunt single, homered off the fair pole in right, his seventh, pushing the lead to 6-0.

Tampa Bay also scored in the fifth inning on a solo homer to dead center by Pham off relief pitcher Sean Gilmartin.

Then in the sixth inning, Bauers walked before Ciuffo singled to center to put two on with one out. After Mallex Smith grounded into a fielder’s choice at third, and Matt Duffy walked, Choi crushed a 438-foot grand slam to right-field off Ryan Meisinger. Tampa Bay scored their first 11 runs via the longball.

The Rays tacked on three more runs in the seventh inning on a bases-loaded wild pitch, a Ciuffo sacrifice-fly, and an infield hit off the bat of Smith.

After Snell departed one out in the sixth inning, Jaime Schultz pitched 1-2/3 scoreless innings, while Andrew Kittredge and Hunter Wood threw an inning apiece. The hurlers combined for 15 strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter.

The New What Next

The Rays have an opportunity to win both the current and season series against the Orioles on Saturday night. Diego Castillo (3-2, 3.48 ERA) will open for the Rays, with Ryan Yarbrough (13-5, 3.68 ERA) expected to work the bulk of the innings. They’ll be opposed by David Hess (3-9, 5.27 ERA).

Castillo has opened four times previously and has allowed runs in only one of those appearances. The flame-throwing right-hander has not walked a batter in those outings, covering 9-1/3 innings.

Yarbrough tossed five innings of relief on Sunday, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while striking out three against Cleveland. The southpaw took the mound in the second inning after opener Diego Castillo tossed a scoreless first, and held Cleveland scoreless until the seventh when he allowed an RBI single to Jose Ramirez, knocking him out of the game. Yarbrough has lowered his ERA to 3.68, with a 2.67 K/BB, thanks to a 21-1/3 inning stretch where he has allowed just two earned runs total.

Hess allowed five runs (four earned) on nine hits across four innings on Sunday against the Royals. He struck out three and threw just 10/21 first-pitch strikes. Hess was scored upon in three different innings and had an unearned run that originated from his own wild pitch. Hess was coming off three consecutive quality starts — perhaps his best stretch of the season. The right-hander held Tampa Bay scoreless across six innings in his first meeting of the season (May 25), but allowed three runs on four hits in 5-2/3 innings on August 9. Hess was cleared to start after he was hit in the eye with a football while playing catch before Friday’s contest. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (1-2, HR, RBI, BB), Matt Duffy (4-9, 2B, HR, 4 RBI), Joey Wendle (4-5, BB) 

Rays 9/8/18 Starting Lineup

Smith RF
Wendle 3B
Pham LF
Choi DH
Kiermaier CF
Adames SS
Bauers 1B
Lowe 2B
Ciuffo C
Castillo RHP

You can read about the series in our preview.

The New What Next: Rays vs Orioles — one last series preview

Noteworthiness

— Tampa Bay starts the day eight games back in the AL Wildcard race, but just 1-1/2 games behind the Seattle Mariners, who stand between Tampa Bay and Oakland.

— The Rays will wear their Devil Rays throwback uniforms tonight for the last scheduled time this season.

— Michael Perez is back with the team. The backstop was in Cleveland for the birth of his son, Liam, on Wednesday. He said his hamstring is improving and is confident he’ll return to action this season.

— Former Ray Alex Cobb has been scratched from Sunday’s start due to a blister. Southpaw Josh Rogers will instead start for Baltimore.

— Since his average dipped to .175 on August 14, Kevin Kiermaier has hit .348 with five doubles, three triples, and three home runs.

Tampa Bay Rays 8/9/18 pregame notes; Chaz Roe update

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Jalen Beeks fared well in his third appearance with the Rays last night. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After another one-run game on Wednesday, resulting in a 5-4 loss, the Tampa Bay Rays look to win the series against Baltimore this evening and finish a homestand on a high note. The Rays need a win to move back above the .500 mark.

The loss was just the third this season when Tampa Bay held a lead after eight innings — the first since June 18th. The Rays are, surprisingly, 7-8 against the worst team in baseball, due in large part because have allowed 31 home runs in 15 contests, including three last night.

Even so, Jalen Beeks was good on the mound Wednesday night, firing off five innings of one-run ball, while allowing two hits (indulging a home run) and a pair of free passes on an efficient 68 pitches (44 strikes, 65% strike rate, 12/19 first pitch strikes). Beeks kept the game a one-run affair through the seventh when the Rays took advantage of Baltimore mistakes to tie the game.

Beeks spoke about his outing with Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) after the game:

The southpaw has rebounded in impressive fashion since his July 28th debut with the team, surrendering three combined runs over 10-innings and allowing him to lower his ERA from 15.94 to 9.15.

The New What Next

Hunter Wood (0-0, 3.22 ERA) will get the start tonight and will be followed by Yonny Chirinos (0-4, 3.70 ERA) or Jake Faria (4-3, 5.26 ERA). They’ll be opposed by David Hess (2-6, 6.41 ERA).

Wood allowed a run in his second inning of work on Sunday against Chicago, but just two runs in 8-1/3 innings as an opener (five previous appearances). Chirinos has been good in his two home appearances since coming off the DL.

Hess coughed up seven runs (five earned) on five hits and a walk over 3-1/3 innings while striking out four Rangers. While some shitty defense helped deflect the blow to Hess’s ratios, most of it was by the pitcher himself, as he committed two of the Orioles three errors on the night. Hess has split his time out of the ‘pen and the rotation this season, although a lack of arms necessitated the starter status. In three games against Tampa Bay, Hess is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA … but, that over just 13-2/3 innings of work. Key Matchups: Matt Duffy (2-6, HR, 3 RBI), Joey Wendle (4-5, BB)

You can read about the series in our preview.

The New What Next: Rays vs Orioles — a series preview

Rays 8/9/18 Starting Lineup

Smith RF
Duffy 3B
Bauers LF
Cron 1B
Choi DH
Kiermaier CF
Adames SS
Lowe LF
Sucre C
Wood RHP

Noteworthiness

Medical matters…

— RHP Chaz Roe will begin a rehab assignment with the Charlotte Stone Crabs tonight. The right-hander has been out since July 6 after going under the knife to repair a torn meniscus. Roe could return during the upcoming road trip.

Rays 8/8/18 pregame notes; Glasnow’s second start in Tampa Bay

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More of this, please. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After winning in walk-off fashion on Tuesday night, the Tampa Bay Rays look to win a series against the Orioles tonight. Tampa Bay has won seven games in walk-off fashion, four via the home run. The seven walk-off wins are tied for the American League lead. Thanks to losses by the Mariners and Athletics, the Rays start the day 9.5 games out of the final Wildcard spot, and 7.5 behind Seattle.

Tyler Glasnow, one of the players who came to Tampa Bay in the Chris Archer trade, got the start for the Rays. Because he had been used as a reliever in Pittsburgh, Glasnow was on a pitch count of four innings or 60 pitches and will continue to be until he is fully stretched out.

Over his first two frames, Glasnow struck out five of six batters on 98 mph fastballs and low 80’s curveballs that were hard to time up due to the speed differential and the movement.

Baltimore got its first baserunner with two outs in the third, when Caleb Joseph singled and swiped second, but Glasnow struck out Jonathan Villar on four pitches, setting up a filthy 86 mph slider with a trio of fastballs.

Tim Beckham, ever the intrepid fastball hunter, led off the fourth inning with a solo home run when Glasnow’s velocity dropped a touch, but that was the only damage incurred against the tall right-hander.

All told, Glasnow struck out nine and walked none — not bad for a guy with a reputation of having control issues.

Following the game, Glasnow told reporters he feels comfortable with Tampa Bay and is pitching more athletically than trying to control his delivery.

I felt good physically and I wanted to go out and attack, Glasnow was quoted as saying.

The other big story from the game was Willy Adames’ walk-off homer, his first hit of that type since he was in Double-A Montgomery. It also came in front of his parents and sister, who had flown in from the Dominican Republic.

That bat flip though!

It’s just an amazing feeling, Adames said after the game. I have no words to explain the feeling I have right now.

The New What Next

Ryne Stanek (1-3, 2.27 ERA) will open for the Rays, and will likely be followed by Jalen Beeks (1-0, 10.80 ERA). They’ll be opposed by Andrew Cashner (3-10, 5.05 ERA).

Stanek struck out all five batters he faced his last appearance against the White Sox.

Beeks allowed two earned runs on two hits and a walk over five innings on Thursday. He struck out four. Beeks didn’t exactly set a high bar in his debut against the Orioles on July 28th, allowing eight earned runs on 10 hits and three walks over 3-1/3 innings. Yet the southpaw looked considerably more composed over an efficient 71 pitches (47 strikes, 66% strike rate, 13/18 first-pitch strikes) Thursday, limiting the damage after Hunter Wood had been stellar over the first two innings as the opener. The key to Beeks’ bounce back success was two-fold: he got ahead of batters, and remained calm when things appeared like they might spiral out of control. He figures to be utilized in similar fashion Wednesday, with his ability to pitch multiple innings makes him a natural for the second-man-in role on “bullpen days.”

Andrew Cashner allowed 10 earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out one across just 1-2/3 innings in a loss on Thursday against the Rangers. Cashner only allowed one home run, yet five consecutive Rangers reached base in the second inning before he was chased from the game. Cashner had pitched well over a 52-inning stretch prior to Thursday’s game, performing to a 3.46 ERA and 1.29 WHIP — although he only managed 31 strikeouts. In that stretch, the right-hander limited the Rays to two runs on five hits and three walks over six innings of work back on the 27th. Key Matchups: Jake Bauers (1-3), CJ Cron (3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB), Matt Duffy (4-16, 3B, RBI, 2 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (2-3), Michael Perez (1-2), Joey Wendle (2-5, 3B, RBI, BB) 

You can read about the series in our preview.

The New What Next: Rays vs Orioles — a series preview

Rays 8/8/18 Starting Lineup

Smith LF
Duffy 3B
Bauers 1B
Wendle 2B
Choi DH
Gomez RF
Kiermaier CF
Adames SS
Perez C
Stanek RHP

The New What Next: Rays vs Orioles — a series preview

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The offense woke up in the series finale against the White Sox. Unfortunately, the pitching staff couldn’t contain Chicago’s “potent” offense. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles will begin a three-game series Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. The Rays are holding onto postseason aspirations by a thread after a disappointing series loss to the White Sox, while the Orioles are still a lot of games under .500. Still, Baltimore won the last three meetings against Tampa Bay a week-and-a-half ago.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

Tampa Bay bounced back from a series loss against the Orioles by sweeping the Los Angeles Angels. Yet whatever momentum the team generated from the series win was for not, as the White Sox silenced the Rays over a dismal, three-game weekend series. The Orioles didn’t fare much better this weekend past, dropping three of four against the Rangers. They enter the Trop with a 14-43 road record.

(Stats Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Chicago’s success against Tampa Bay was due, in part, to the pitching staff leaning heavily on secondary offerings. And while the Rays put a lot of runners on the base paths, they couldn’t bring them in, going 6-29 with runners in scoring position — good for a .207 wRISP batting average. In contrast, Baltimore maintained its productive hitting against Texas, yet the hurlers couldn’t slow down the Rangers. The Rays hope for a similar outcome from the Orioles pitching staff, lest they continue their backslide toward irrelevancy.

Pitching Probables

Kevin Cash will lean on Tyler Glasnow (0-0, 3.00 ERA), likely Jalen Beeks (1-0, 10.80 ERA), and a pitcher to be named before the series finale on Thursday. Buck Showalter will counter with Alex Cobb (3-14, 5.84 ERA), Andrew Cashner (3-10, 5.05 ERA), and David Hess (2-6, 6.44 ERA).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Tyler Glasnow was impressive in his debut with the Rays, throwing three innings of one-run ball on 48 pitches (34 strikes, 71% strike rate, 21% SwStr rate). Glasnow allowed two hits (including a solo home run), one walk, and struck out five.

Fastball, curveball, slider today, I had a good feel for things, Glasnow said following the Rays’ win. I felt relaxed out there. Overall, the feel in this clubhouse is really good. It’s relaxed, it’s friendly.

Rays manager Kevin Cash had nothing but superlatives for the right-hander, saying,

Probably not going to (throw 70 percent strikes) all of the time. But a great start. If he’s featuring that kind of stuff at a 70 percent clip in the zone, he’s going to have a special career.

On Glasnow’s repertoire … The right-hander threw 24 of 35 four-seam fastballs for strikes (five whiffs), averaging 97.6 mph (and topping out at 99.5 mph); 3 of 5 sliders for strikes (1 whiff); and 7 of 8 curveballs for strikes (1 whiff). He was able to move his fastball all over the zone at will and played his off-speed stuff off of his heater.

The only real criticism for Glasnow, is that he left a fair number of hanging breaking pitches in hittable locations. One of those very hittable offerings was a 0-2 curveball that flattened out over the heart of the plate and was consequently hit into the Rays tank — thanks a lot, Kole Calhoun. Otherwise, it was an excellent introduction to the flame-throwing right-hander, who should have a longer leash his next time out.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said the goal is to get Glasnow through four innings as he continues to stretch out his arm.

Alex Cobb allowed one run on seven hits while fanning six across six innings as he secured his third victory of the season on Wednesday. The former Ray has turned it around on the hill of late, this despite a 5.83 ERA and 1.54 WHIP through 109-2/3 frames this season. Cobb has now surrendered seven runs over 23-1/3 innings (four starts) while recording 15 punch outs. Tampa Bay was able to get to the right-hander again on July 26, tagging him for four runs (three earned) on eight hits over six innings of work. Key Matchups: Jake Bauers (1-3, RBI), Ji-Man Choi (2-3, 2B, RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (1-3, 2B), Michael Perez (1-2, 2B), Mallex Smith (3-5, 2B, BB), Joey Wendle (4-8, 2 RBI)

Jalen Beeks allowed two earned runs on two hits and a walk over five innings on Thursday. He struck out four. Beeks didn’t exactly set a high bar in his debut against the Orioles on July 28th, allowing eight earned runs on 10 hits and three walks over 3-1/3 innings. Yet the southpaw looked considerably more composed over an efficient 71 pitches (47 strikes, 66% strike rate, 13/18 first-pitch strikes) Thursday, limiting the damage after Hunter Wood had been stellar over the first two innings as the opener. The key to Beeks’ bounce back success was two-fold: he got ahead of batters, and remained calm when things appeared like they might spiral out of control. He figures to be utilized in similar fashion Wednesday, with his ability to pitch multiple innings makes him a natural for the second-man-in role on “bullpen days.”

Andrew Cashner allowed 10 earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out one across just 1-2/3 innings in a loss on Thursday against the Rangers. Cashner only allowed one home run, yet five consecutive Rangers reached base in the second inning before he was chased from the game. Cashner had pitched well over a 52-inning stretch prior to Thursday’s game, performing to a 3.46 ERA and 1.29 WHIP — although he only managed 31 strikeouts. In that stretch, the right-hander limited the Rays to two runs on five hits and three walks over six innings of work back on the 27th. Key Matchups: Jake Bauers (1-3), CJ Cron (3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB), Matt Duffy (4-16, 3B, RBI, 2 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (2-3), Michael Perez (1-2), Joey Wendle (2-5, 3B, RBI, BB) 

I will update things when a starter in Thursday’s game is announced.

David Hess coughed up seven runs (five earned) on five hits and a walk over 3-1/3 innings while striking out four Rangers. While some shitty defense helped deflect the blow to Hess’s ratios, most of it was by the pitcher himself, as he committed two of the Orioles three errors on the night. Hess has split his time out of the ‘pen and the rotation this season, although a lack of arms necessitated the starter status. In three games against Tampa Bay, Hess is 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA … but, that over just 13-2/3 innings of work. Key Matchups: Matt Duffy (2-6, HR, 3 RBI), Joey Wendle (4-5, BB)

Noteworthiness

Medical Matters…

— Right-handed relief pitcher Chaz Roe threw live batting practice on Monday in Port Charlotte and hopes to begin a rehab assignment Thursday.

— UTL Daniel Robertson underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb Monday morning and is expected to be out 6-8 weeks, likely ending his season.

— OF Tommy Pham is feeling better after suffering a hairline fracture in his right foot last week, although he is still on the same 2-4 week timetable for his return.