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Rays set to bolster rotation with additions of Rich Hill and Collin McHugh

February 14, 2021 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

The Tampa Bay Rays reportedly inked deals with Rich Hill (above) and Collin McHugh on Friday.

The Tampa Bay Rays reportedly bolstered the pitching staff on Friday, adding not one but two quality arms in veterans Rich Hill and Collin McHugh. Both hurlers have agreed to one-year contracts worth a combined $4.3-million. The agreements are pending physicals that may not be completed until Spring Training begins next week.

Tampa Bay is set to add two experienced hurlers who seem like perfect fits for what could be another creatively pieced together season.

Hill will turn 41 in March and has logged a 2.93 ERA/3.57 SIERA with a 28.6% strikeout rate and a better-than-average 7.9% walk rate across 503 innings as a member of the Red Sox, Athletics, Dodgers, and Twins — this despite possessing 90 mph fastball. Last season, the southpaw went 2-2 with a 3.03 ERA in 38-2/3 innings (eight starts) for the Twins, although he averaged fewer than five innings in his time with Minneapolis. A question regarding Hill’s durability lingers as knee, forearm, and shoulder issues have impacted the hurler the last few seasons. Even so, his fastball/curveball combination has made him dominant when he’s taken the mound.

McHugh — a one-time Astro, Rockie, and Met — was largely successful in Houston as a starter and reliever from 2014-19, although elbow issues have impacted him the last few seasons, including the truncated 2020 campaign — McHugh signed with Boston before last season but was not healthy enough to pitch for the club.

McHugh owns a career 58-43 record with a 3.95 ERA and 771 punchouts across 800-2/3 frames (210 appearances). He averaged 181 innings per season as a starter from 2014-16, then 70 per season from 2017-19 when he moved to the bullpen. In 2018, McHugh was exceptional in a full-time relief role, posting a 1.99 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 94 strikeouts over 72-1/3 innings (58 outings).

The right-hander’s repertoire has evolved over time. In 2018, the average spin rate on his slider (2,835 rpm) was comparable to that of former Ray Chaz Roe (2,843), while the average spin rate on his curveball (2,799 rpm) was nearly identical to that of current ace Tyler Glasnow (2,802).

McHugh, a one-time fastball/curveball hurler, threw his slider 43.4% of the time in 2019 — dominating batters on the offering along the way. Meanwhile, his 90.8 mph four-seam fastball limited batters to a .175 BA with a .343 SLG and a 39.6% SwStr% against his slider.

The Rays sought starting pitching this offseason after parting ways with Charlie Morton and Blake Snell. As Adam Berry (MLB.com) wrote, “as teams try to safely manage the increase in pitchers’ workloads from a 60-game schedule to a 162-game season, it seems Tampa Bay is prepared to attack the challenge by loading up on ‘bulk-inning’ options.”

As of now, the Opening Day-ready starting/bulk-inning choices include Tyler Glasnow, Ryan Yarbrough, Chris Archer, Michael Wacha, Rich Hill, Collin McHugh, Trevor Richards, Josh Fleming, Shane McClanahan, Luis Patiño, Brendan McKay, Brent Honeywell Jr. and Joe Ryan will give the Kevin Cash and Kyle Snyder the necessary innings needed to navigate through the season without overtaxing any of their arms.

The Rays could piggyback starters, or throw once or more through the order — Perhaps Trevor Richards, Collin McHugh, and/or Josh Fleming, along with several others during any given contest. They could also lean on pitchers with “different looks,” conceivably pairing power right-handers — like Glasnow or Patiño — with lefthanders that focus on a fastball/slider combo, or lefties who coax grounders with righties who rely heavily on curveballs.

As Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) writes, the Rays like all teams, will have to be very flexible this season.

Why would Tampa Bay consider going this route of having so many options? For one it’s hard to fathom pitchers going 200 innings or even 180 after throwing 60 the previous year.

Perhaps for 2021, teams are more likely to get 100 to 150 innings out of starters/bulk pitchers to keep them healthy. Let’s say you get an average of 120 innings out of nine pitchers. I listed 15 pitchers above, which creates a lot of cushion for performance and health.

You can have six-man rotations at times, or tandem starters, where one pitcher goes four or five innings, and another goes three or once through the order.

Use nine pitchers at an average of 120 innings, that would cover 1080 innings, leaving fewer than 400 innings for the true relievers to cover, like Nick Anderson, Diego Castillo, Pete Fairbanks, plus John Curtiss, Cody Reed, Ryan Sherriff and Ryan Thompson among others. This way you could avoid relievers going beyond 60 or 65 innings (after going just 20 or so last year) and keep them sharp and healthy too.

— Neil Solondz

While the baseball world has hammered the Rays front office for their confounding offseason moves, Erik Neander and Co. have quietly put together a squad of impactful arms that are projected to drive the team toward another postseason run. Haters, like Fuzzy — or whatever the fuck his name is — are going to hate, however, the Rays are known to make many a blogger eat their own words. And by the looks of it, a nice dish of crow could be on the menu come October.

Noteworthiness

— The Rays submitted their Spring Training roster of 73 players on Friday — a list that did not include the abovementioned Hill and McHugh, who are expected to be added to the roster just prior to the start of camp.

#Rays ‘21 Spring Training roster. They can open up three spots on the 40-man roster next week when they put Beeks, Chirinos and Poche on the 60-day injured list. Two of those spots will be filled by McHugh + Hill. https://t.co/xF5CTjlCz9

— X-Rays Spex (@XRaysSpex) February 13, 2021

Wander Franco and five other prospects invited to big league camp; players reject league’s 154-game proposal

February 2, 2021 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Number one prospect in all of baseball, Wander Franco, received an invitation to big league camp along with five other prospects.

On Monday, the Tampa Bay Rays announced that number one prospect in all of baseball, Wander Franco, has been invited to Major League Spring Training along with five others. This marks the 19-year-old’s first full spring in big league camp. Franco was part of Tampa Bay’s 60-man player pool last season and spent the summer at the team’s alternate site in Port Charlotte. He also earned a spot on their 40-man postseason player pool.

In addition 1B/OF Dalton Kelly, INF Esteban Quiroz, and C/OF Brett Sullivan, RHP Yacksel Rios, and Adrian De Horta have also received invitations.

The switch-hitting Franco was named the Rays’ Minor League Player of the Year two seasons ago, when he slashed .327 BA/.398 OBP/.487 SLG/.885 OPS with 41 extra-base hits (nine home runs, 27 doubles, and seven triples) across 114 games between Class-A Bowling Green and Class-A Advanced Charlotte. It isn’t yet clear at which level he will start the season, although he could be on track to make his highly-anticipated big league debut later this season if he breaks camp in Double-A or Triple-A.

Both Sullivan and Kelly attended big league camp last season as non-roster invitees, and Sullivan also was in the 60-player pool for part of 2020 as was Quiroz. This is the first MLB Spring Training for Quiroz, who was a player to be named in the Tommy Pham trade. Quiroz played mostly second base and posted a .274 BA/.390 OBP/.541 SLG/.931 OPS line in two Minor League seasons after signing with Boston out of Mexico. Following the 2020 season, he played winter ball for Caneros de Los Mochis in the Mexican Pacific Winter League, slashing .299 BA/.466 OBP/.483 SLG/.949 OPS with eight homers and 38 RBI in 58 games.

The 25-year-old De Horta was part of the 60-player pool for the Angels last season. He worked to a 5.33 ERA with 76 punchouts and 33 walks across 52-1/3 frames (18 outings) including eight starts at three levels of the Angels’ system two seasons ago. Rios allowed four runs in as many innings with Pittsburgh last season.

Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) provided an updated list of the players invited to big leaguecamp so far by Tampa Bay. Those with an asterisk are non-roster invitees:

Pitchers (30): Nick Anderson, Jalen Beeks, Diego Castillo, Yonny Chirinos, John Curtiss, Adrian De Horta*, Chris Ellis*, Dietrich Enns*, Pete Fairbanks, Josh Fleming, Tyler Glasnow, David Hess*, Brent Honeywell Jr, Andrew Kittredge*, Shane McClanahan, Brendan McKay, Luis Patino, Colin Poche, Cody Reed, Trevor Richards, Yacksel Rios*, Kenny Rosenberg*, Phoenix Sanders*, Ryan Sherriff, Aaron Slegers, Drew Strotman, Ryan Thompson, Michael Wacha, Ryan Yarbrough, Tyler Zombro*

Catchers (6): Ronaldo Hernandez, Francisco Mejia, Joe Odom*, Kevan Smith*, Brett Sullivan*, Mike Zunino

Infielders (12): Willy Adames, Mike Brosseau, Vidal Brujan, Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz, Wander Franco*, Dalton Kelly*, Brandon Lowe, Kevin Padlo, Esteban Quiroz*, Taylor Walls, Joey Wendle

Outfielders (7): Randy Arozarena, Kevin Kiermaier, Josh Lowe, Manuel Margot, Austin Meadows, Brett Phillips, Yoshi Tsutsugo

Noteworthiness

— The Rays have been linked to, and are said to have interest in, right-hander Mike Foltynewicz, formerly of Atlanta. After appearing in the 2018 All-Star game, Foltynewicz took a step back two seasons and pitched in just one game in 2020 — ironically against Tampa Bay on July 27th, when the Rays blew him up for six runs on four hits (including three homers) and four walks across 3-1/3 innings — resulting in an outright by the team and free agency by “Folty.”  Given his recent struggles, Foltynewicz would likely have to pitch his way into a rotation spot in Spring Training, although he is a change of scenery type of candidate.

— After proposing a 154-game season without prorating player pay for the 2021 season at the end of last week, on Monday the MLBPA rejected the league’s proposal as the union “doesn’t like expanded playoffs”. It is uncertain whether the player’s union will offer a counter proposal.

For what it’s worth, the league’s proposal also included delaying the season by a month while also adding eight games at the tail end while also expanding playoffs as mentioned above. The universal designated hitter is also included in this offer.

The league’s proposal had everything both sides want by all accounts: full season pay for the players, expanded postseason for the owners, and a delayed start for the health and safety of everyone involved. And while the league has never been a proponent of pushing the playoffs deep into November, a greater number of participants — both fans and players — ideally would be vaccinated against COVID-19 at some point during the upcoming season. Even though November is adjacent to winter, it’s almost a given that it will be safer.

As TZ Zencka (MLB Trade Rumors) writes, expanded postseason play could impact the players position heading into CBA negotiations after the season.

…caving on expanded postseason gives the players very little leverage to carry with them into the CBA negotiations at the end of the 2021 season. Besides, the MLBPA represents a large body of players, most of whom have made preparations for a season to start on time.

— TZ Zencka

LBWMF: Rays 5, Yankees 3

September 1, 2020 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Ji-Man Choi had a big night Monday, including a first-inning two-run homer off Gerrit Cole.

Tyler Glasnow followed his 13 strikeout gem a start ago against Baltimore by spinning another fantastic start, while the offense tagged Gerrit Cole for four runs en route to the Tampa Bay Rays sixth consecutive win, 5-3 over the New York Yankees.

The Rays walked out of New Yankee Stadium a season-high 14 games over .500, and 4-1/2 games ahead of New York in the AL East.

Felt the breeze all the way from NYC to TB pic.twitter.com/3qUyXiTZ75

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 1, 2020

Glasnow got the start posted six innings of scoreless ball against New York, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out nine on 87 pitches (55 strikes, 63% strike rate). The right-hander kept the Yankees’ offense off-balance for most of the night by leaning on all three of his pitches. He threw his 97 mph four-seam fastball 55 times, his curveball 24 times (nine swings and misses, 16% SwStr%) — eight at-bats ended on the curveball, resulting in seven K’s and a groundout — and eight 92 mph changeups which he threw to whomever regardless of handedness. All told, New York hit just four hard-hit balls against Glasnow.

I just feel like every time he gets on the mound, especially his last couple starts, he’s figured something out — I’m playing behind greatness out there. I am.

Watching what he does and how silly he makes guys look every inning he’s out there, it’s incredible.

— Kevin Kiermaier

Offensively, the Rays pounced on Cole’s mistakes which proved costly for the +$300-million man, as his time on the mound was limited to just five innings and an incredibly inefficient 103 pitches.

New York Choi pic.twitter.com/KYnse5DF0q

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 31, 2020

In the first inning, after the right-hander retired the first two batters, Yandy Diaz lined a single off the wall in right then went to second when Clint Frazier bobbled the ball for an error. Ji-Man Choi — who entered play 7-15 against Cole with three doubles and two home runs — lined a 1-2 slider into the seats in right for a two-run homer.

Who needs a short porch, when you hit it to the second deck? pic.twitter.com/H6i5PWdEQA

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 31, 2020

One inning later, Kevin Kiermaier unleashed his second homer in as many days, this time a 411-foot blast to right that registered 110 mph off his bat.

The Rays added on a run in the fifth inning. Choi walked to lead off the frame before Willy Adames singled to left. Joey Wendle was hit on the foot by a 95 mph 0-2 fastball, loading the bases and bringing Manuel Margot to the plate. The outfielder singled to center, putting Tampa Bay up by four. Yet, Adames was held up by Rodney Linares at third, while Wendle was thrown out between second and third when centerfielder Brett Gardner lucked out and accidentally threw the ball in behind him. That stopped the Rays from tacking on more in the frame.

But after chasing Cole in the fifth, the Rays added one more run an inning later. Reliever Nick Nelson took over for Cole in the sixth, and Choi singled home Randy Arozarena, who initially reached base a single before he swiped second.

The beleaguered hackneyed Yankees crew were not completely silent though, and they were able to rally against relative newcomer Edgar Garcia late in the game.

In the seventh inning, Gio Urshela hit a leadoff homer to right, drawing the Yankees within four. An inning later, DJ LeMahieu looped a single to right before Luke Voit drilled a 3-1, two-run bullet to left, cutting the deficit to two. Kevin Cash had seen enough from the former Phillie and called upon Pete Fairbanks, who gave up a one-out single to Clint Frazier but nothing more.

What’s better than win number 24? pic.twitter.com/tjRjKTjats

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 1, 2020

Finally, in the ninth inning, Cash went with Diego Castillo to close things out for the fourth time this season. Aaron Hicks collected a one-out pinch-hit single against the shift, however, Gardner embarrassed himself went down swinging on three pitches, including a nasty slider that cut off the plate and in on him. LeMahieu ended the game on a chopped comebacker, earning Castillo his third save in four attempts.

The New What Next

Game two of the set will take place Tuesday with Masahiro Tanaka (0-1, 3.48 ERA) on the mound for New York. Trevor Richards (0-0, 5.14 ERA) will get the start for Tampa Bay.

Trevor Richards allowed two runs (one earned) over 4-1/3 innings in a 4–3 win over Baltimore onAugust 26th. He struck out three on 86 total pitches. This is the third time that Richards is facing New York. He gave up two runs across three innings the last time he faced them. Richards hasn’t pitched more than 4-1/3 innings in an outing this year, but an efficient outing could certainly get him through five frames.

Masahiro Tanaka allowed three hits and no walks while fanning four across five scoreless innings on Wednesday in Atlanta. Tanaka was dominant, allowing just a trio of base hits in his time on the mound. Tanaka was pulled after only 66 pitches as he felt he was running out of energy. Tanaka has completed five innings of work in only two of his five starts this season, although they have been high quality. The Rays dusted Tanaka up back on August 18, tagging the right-hander for six runs (five earned) on eight hits including two homers. He now maintains a 3.48 ERA with a 5.67:1 K:BB across 20-2/3 frames this season. Key Matchups: Michael Brosseau (2-3, 2 2B), Kevin Kiermaier (11-37, 2 2B, 2 3B, HR), Austin Meadows (5-15, 2 HR), Micahel Perez (1-4), Joey Wendle (4-14, 2 2B)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Yankees — one last series preview

Rays 9/1/20 Starting Lineup

  1. Choi 1B
  2. B. Lowe 2B
  3. Wendle 3B
  4. Meadows RF
  5. Tsutsugo DH
  6. Adames SS
  7. Kiermaier CF
  8. Margot LF
  9. Perez C

Noteworthiness

— Both Yandy Diaz and Ji-Man Choi left Monday night’s game. Choi left because of stomach issues, while Diaz left midway through the game with right hamstring tightness. After an MRI in New York this morning, Diaz was diagnosed with a right hamstring strain and consequently placed on the 10-day IL. Nate Lowe, who was on the taxi squad, has been added to the roster.

— The Rays announced that their 2019 top draft pick, Greg Jones, has been added to the 60-man player pool and has reported to the alternate site. He joins Brendan McKay and Brent Honeywell Jr. as the most recent additions to the 60-man player pool.

TNWN: Rays vs Marlins — a Citrus Series preview

August 28, 2020 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Justice. Equality. Now. ‘Nuff said. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After an abbreviated two-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles, punctuated by a postponement of the third and final game of the previously scheduled three-game set, the Tampa Bay Rays departed the friendly confines of Tropicana Field for Miami, where they will start a three-game, interleague series against the Marlins on Friday. The Marlins took two-of-three from the Mets.

Love y’all, @RaysBaseball. F**k white supremacy, f**k systemic racism. If you don’t agree, feel free to unfollow X-Rays Spex. https://t.co/P1Tv8aCb62

— X-Rays Spex (@XRaysSpex) August 27, 2020

Before we continue, I think this moment in history deserves acknowledgment. The Rays participated in an act of protest in support of the fight for social justice and to end systemic racism, joining 13 other big-league teams that did the same. In light of the postponement, the Rays made a public comment, which can be seen above.

For what it’s worth, we here at X-Rays Spex cut our teeth on political punk rock and the fight against racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia. And while this isn’t a music blog, the morals and values we embraced back then, by way of the DIY punk scene, remain with us to this day. What’s more, we are BIPOC Rays fans and bloggers (I am Lebanese and Spanish), and because of it, the view that systemic racism isn’t a thing, or doesn’t exist, seems nonsensical. Personally, I have experienced it first hand. F**k white supremacy, and f**k systemic racism. And if that triggers you, feel free to unfollow X-Rays Spex. Now, back to the series preview.

The Rays enter play a season-high 10 games over .500 and with a 99.6% chance of making the playoffs with 28 games left to play according to FanGraphs.

Tampa Bay has been one of the hottest teams in baseball over the last few weeks. They have won 15 of their last 18 games and stretched their American League East lead to 2-1/2 games over the Yankees on Wednesday when New York was swept by Atlanta in a doubleheader.

Kevin Kiermaier left in the middle of an at-bat during Wednesday’s contest and is listed as day-to-day. It isn’t yet known if he will hit the Injured List, in which case he would likely be replaced by newcomer Brett Phillips.

Miami has won three of its last four games. They find themselves in second place in the National League East, and they would qualify for the postseason if the season ended today. Yet, Fangraphs gives them just a 31.8% chance of a playoff berth, thanks in part to an inconsistent offense. Jonathan Villar leads the team with 28 hits and nine RBI this season, although he has struck out 29 times in 103 at-bats. Former Ray Jesús Aguilar has 26 hits to his credit and a team-high 20 RBI. Aguilar is tied with third baseman Brian Anderson for the team-lead in home runs with four.

For whatever reason, even though the Marlins are a chronically beleaguered team, Citrus Series games are always tight affairs. Even so, the Rays swept the Marlins in last season’s iteration, four games to none.

Rays Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash is expected to turn to Ryan Yarbrough (0-2, 4.45 ERA), Josh Fleming (1-0, 3.60 ERA), and Blake Snell (2-0, 3.04 ERA). Don Mattingly is expected to counter with Sixto Sanchez (1-0, 5.40 ERA), Pablo Lopez (3-1, 1.98 ERA), and Daniel Castano (0-2, 4.11 ERA).

Ryan Yarbrough allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out six over 6-1/3 innings on Frida. Yarbrough’s previous start was cut short due to rain, but he matched his longest start of the season Friday by going 6-1/3 innings. Unfortunately, the four runs he gave up in the second inning forced him to settle for his third straight no-decision. To his credit, Yarbrough locked it in from that point on and was fairly effective outside of the second inning. He now carries a 4.45 ERA and 1.32 WHIP over 30-1/3 innings (six starts).

Sixto Sanchez allowed three runs on six hits over five innings on Saturday, in his big league debut. He struck out four without walking a batter. Sanchez flashed the velocity that’s made him a top prospect as he popped 100 mph on the radar gun four times in the first inning alone. He also showed good control, throwing 46 of 66 pitches for strikes (70% strike rate), although he caught too much of the plate as the Nats launched two home runs off of him. It was still a very impressive start to his career. Sanchez relies primarily on a 97 mph two-seam fastball power sink and a four-seamer that climbs into triple digits, while also mixing in a changeup that dives at the plate, and a hard slider that can be a plus pitch at times.

Josh Fleming got the start and allowed two runs on four hits and two walks across five solid innings. He struck out three on 72 pitches (41 strikes, 57% strike rate, 22% SwStr%). The southpaw allowed a solo homer to Teoscar Hernandez in the second inning, and an RBI single to Travis Shaw in the fourth. Yet he was also able to work around a double in the fifth, and his day ended with the Tampa Bay trailing by a pair. Fortunately for Fleming, the Rays plated three runs in the bottom of the frame to leave him in line to pick up his first career win. With Yonny Chirinos on the shelf, Fleming showed that he is perfectly capable of pitching in the big leagues.

Pablo Lopez allowed six hits and two walks while striking out three over five scoreless frames on Monday night against Washington. Lopez dealt with plenty of traffic on the basepaths, although he managed to exit the contest staked to a 7-0 lead. The right-hander tossed 16 of the 23 first-pitch strikes. Lopez has looked sharp in five starts this season, allowing two runs or fewer in each outing, good enough for a 1.98 ERA to go along with a 1.24 WHIP and a 3.86 K:BB over 27-1/3 innings. He relies primarily on a 94 mph four-seam fastball, an 87 mph changeup, and a 94 mph sinker, while also mixing in a 91 mph cutter, and a 79 mph curveball. Lopez is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in one career start against the Rays.

Blake Snell allowed two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out nine over 5-2/3 innings on Monday against the Blue Jays. Snell one run in the third on a double and another in the sixth on a solo homer before exiting the game with a one-run lead. It was positive to see Snell rack up nine punchies after fanning just three in his last outing Tuesday in New York. Over six starts this season (23-2/3 IP), Snell owns a 3.04 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with 32 strikeouts.

Daniel Castano allowed six hits and three walks over 4-2/3 shutout innings during the first game of a doubleheader against the Mets on Tuesday. The 25-year-old threw 23 pitches during his start Saturday, came back on two days of rest to start Tuesday’s matinee, and ended up one out short of qualifying for the win. Castano has a 4.11 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and 1:1 K:BB across 15-1/3 innings as a fill-in starter for the Marlins. He relies primarily on a 90 mph worm-killer four-seam fastball with heavy sink, an 80 mph slider with glove-side cut and two plane action, and an 82 mph changeup with slight cut action, while also mixing in an 89 mph sinker. Castano has never faced the Rays.

TNWN: Rays vs Orioles — a series preview

July 31, 2020 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Someone should’ve told Ozzie not to test the arms of the Rays.

After splitting an Interleague series against Atlanta, the Tampa Bay Rays make their way to Charm City, where they will start a three-game set against the Orioles on Friday. Baltimore most recently dropped a pair to the Yankees.

Tampa Bay enters play having plated 38 runs through seven games (first place in the American League in runs scored), however, they rank 12th in the AL with a .219 team batting average. The Rays are also outside the top-10 in slugging percentage with a tepid .388. “How did they score all those runs?” you might be asking. They get on base at a fairly healthy .322 OBP clip, and with the exception of the Opening Series, the Rays have done a good job with runners in scoring position, hitting .298 — including .320 with runners in scoring position and two outs.

Juxtapose that with Baltimore, which enters the set scoring exactly five runs per game across five contests. That isn’t going to cut it in the AL East. However, both teams share something: with just seven homers apiece, both are in the bottom five in the AL as it relates to home runs. In all fairness, the Orioles have had an uneven schedule given the number of COVID-19 postponments they’ve faced…it isn’t easy to get consistent at-bats when you’re not playing games.

The Rays are coming off two offensively strapped contests which led to two consecutive losses. As the old adage goes, “You need to take advantage of the bad teams,” and Baltimore is one of the weakest teams Tampa Bay will play this season. A series win would be the cake, while a sweep would be the icing.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will lean on Blake Snell (0-0, 0.00 ERA), Tyler Glasnow (0-0, 2.25 ERA), and Yonny Chirinos (0-0, 0.00 ERA). Brandon Hyde will counter with former Ray Alex Cobb (1-0, 1.69 ERA), Wade LeBlanc (1-0, 6.35 ERA), and a pitcher to be named ahead of the series finale.

Blake Snell allowed three hits and two walks while striking out five across two scoreless innings on Sunday. The lefty punched out the first two batters he faced, using a heavy dose of fastballs, yet he also struggled with location — throwing only four of 11 first-pitch strikes. Snell’s first start of the season was scheduled to be short, but he did not work efficiently which shortened that outing even further; he retired just six batters. If he can improve his command on Friday, expect a longer leash for the southpaw hurler. Snell is 2-2 with a 4.67 ERA in five starts against the Orioles, and 0-1 with a 10.57 ERA in two career starts at Camden Yards.

Alex Cobb — the former Ray that has oft been injured the last few seasons — allowed just one run on four hits and no walks while striking out six across 5-1/3 innings against Boston. Cobb cruised through the first five innings with a three-hit shutout, but he was pulled at 78 pitches with one out in the sixth inning after surrendering a solo homer to Mitch Moreland. It was his first victory since 2018 after making just three starts last season. Cobb is 0-3 with a 4.63 ERA in four career starts against his former team. Key Matchups: Michael Perez (1-4, 2B), Joey Wendle (4-11), Mike Zunino (5-10, 2B, HR)

Tyler Glasnow was absolutely dominant over the front four innings, allowing just one hit — a solo homer to Dansby Swanson — and two walks while striking out nine. Leaning heavily on his big fastball — which he got up to 100.1 mph in the first inning — his 12-6 curveball which induced some awkward swings and misses, and a handful of mid-90’s changeups (!!!), Glasnow retired the last seven batters in a row — punching out five of them — including the side in the fourth inning. Glasnow threw 72 pitches, 45 for strikes, and coaxed 15 swings and misses (63% strike rate, 33% whiff rate).

Swanson opened the scoring in the second inning by hitting a home run to centerfield on a 98.8 mph 3-2 fastball — the fastest Glasnow pitch that’s ever been hit for a home run.

Wade LeBlanc allowed four runs on four hits and no walks while striking out four over 5-2/3 innings on Sunday against the Red Sox. LeBlanc wasn’t particularly dominant in his start, but an early-game offensive onslaught by the Orioles put him in line for the win in his season debut. Last season, the southpaw logged a 5.71 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 121-1/3 innings in 26 appearances (eight starts). LeBlanc relies primarily on a whiffy 78 mph changeup with some natural sink to it, an 83 mph cutter boasting strong cutting action, and an 87 mph sinker, while also mixing in a whiffy 71 mph curveball with sweeping glove-side movement. He is 0-2 with a 5.17 ERA in three career outings (15-2/3 innings) against Tampa Bay.

Yonny Chirinos missed two weeks of Summer Camp due to COVID-19, and because of it, questions surrounded the right-hander as he took the mound … questions regarding his pitch count, command and control of his stuff, and stamina. And though he threw just one first-pitch strike to the first nine batters (7-of-17 overall), Chirinos was able to maintain his composure and turn in a fairly effective outing, allowing one unearned run on four hits and two walks while striking out four on 68 pitches (41 strikes, 60% strike rate).

It doesn’t hurt that he was helped by double plays in each of the first two scoreless frames, including a strike ’em out, throw ’em out twin killing in the first.

Yet, Chirinos ran into trouble in the third inning when Ender Inciarte reached on Ji-Man Choi’s error, then went to third on Alex Jackson’s double to left, his first big-league hit. Ronald Acuña Jr. earned a base loading free pass before Chirinos was able to strike out both Ozzie Albies and Freddie Freeman. Still, Marcell Ozuna drove in the game’s first run on a base hit to left, although Matt Adams popped out to cap the rally at just one run. Chirinos threw 31 pitches in the frame but finished his outing with a clean eight-pitch fourth.

TBA

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