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The New What Next: Rays vs Blue Jays — the penultimate series preview

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Tommy Pham hit two homers in the series finale against the Rangers on Wednesday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After sweeping the Texas Rangers in Arlington, the Tampa Bay Rays will continue their final road series of the season in Toronto, where they are set to start a four-game set against the Blue Jays on Thursday. Toronto is coming off a series win against Baltimore, although they dropped the series finale on Wednesday.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

The Rays steamrolled over Texas in the span of the series, outscoring the Rangers 16-3, impressively driving in six two-out runs and going 10-for-36 wRISP (.278 BA). They also clubbed four home runs, including a pair from Tommy Pham on Wednesday.

Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) surmised things well on Wednesday, writing:

The Rays still have a long way to go, and they are going to need a lot of help to get there.

But they continue to do their part to try to make it a race for the final American League playoff spot, beating the Rangers 9-3 Wednesday for their fifth straight win, 14th in 17 September games, and 23rd in their past 28 overall improving to 85-66.

More importantly, they crept within five games of the second wild-card-holding A’s, who hosted the Angels late Wednesday, having gained 3½ games in the previous four days.

Meanwhile, just when it looked like Toronto could string together a successful end of the season run, winning two consecutive series against the Yankees and Orioles (respectively), the Blue Jays were limited to one run on Wednesday.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Tampa Bay’s most recent wins have allowed the Rays to keep the pressure on the Athletics and Yankees. These next four games are no different. That is to say, there is no time to take the foot off the gas. Toronto has a fully capable lineup that can levy damage on opposing pitchers, and it will be incumbent on the Rays pitching staff to keep the ball in the yard, as they’ve done all season.

Pitching Probables

Kevin Cash has named just one pitcher in the series — Thursday’s opener, Ryne Stanek (2-3, 2.49 ERA), so it’s a bit difficult to project who will be pitching. Moreover, I’m rolling with the assumption that Cash will push Blake Snell’s start back a day so he can open the series against the Yankees. That being said, it seems reasonable the Rays will employ the bullpen on Thursday and Friday, while Tyler Glasnow (2-6, 4.22 ERA) and Jalen Beeks (4-1, 5.32 ERA) should see the bulk of the innings on Saturday and Sunday. John Gibbons will counter with Sam Gaviglio (2-8, 5.38 ERA), Sean Reid-Foley (2-3, 5.54 ERA), Thomas Pannone (3-1, 4.18 ERA), and Ryan Borucki (4-4, 3.86 ERA).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Ryne Stanek has opened 26 games this season, compiling a 2.50 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 47 strikeouts across 36 innings in those appearances. He’ll pitch one or two innings before giving way to a long reliever.

Sam Gaviglio settled for a no-decision last Thursday, allowing two earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out one across 3-1/3 innings. Gaviglio was pulled with one out in the fourth inning after throwing 53 pitches. He gave up a homer to J.D. Martinez in the second inning, now allowing at least one home run in five consecutive starts. Gaviglio’s ERA stands at a disappointing 5.25 for the season, along with a 3.03 K/BB ratio over 108 innings. The right-hander is 0-2 with a 6.32 ERA in two starts against Tampa Bay this season (eight innings of work). Key Matchups: Willy Adames (1-3, 2 RBI), Jake Bauers (2-2, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Ji-Man Choi (1-2, 2B), CJ Cron (1-4), Matt Duffy (2-6), Kevin Kiermaier (1-4), Mallex Smith (2-5, 2B, RBI), Joey Wendle (3-4, 2B, 2 RBI)

Jalen Beeks pitched two shutout innings of relief on Tuesday, allowing just two hits and no walks. It will be interesting to see if Kevin Cash lengthens his leash since Beeks has allowed just one run across four combined appearances spanning 10 innings.

Sean Reid-Foley earned a win against the Yankees on Saturday, striking out 10 and allowing two hits and four walks across five scoreless innings. Reid-Foley totaled 92 pitches (55 strikes, 60% K/BB) as the walks inflated his pitch count a bit. He, however, was fantastic against a playoff-caliber offense. The right-hander was about 10 innings away from his limit for the season entering Saturday, so his start Friday will likely be the last of the season. This season he has relied primarily on his 94 mph four-seam fastball and an 84 mph slider, while also mixing in an 86 mph changeup and an 82 mph curveball.

Tyler Glasnow allowed the only hits on the night and struck out six over six scoreless innings, allowing the right-hander to pick up his first victory with Tampa Bay in nine starts. The only other baserunner against Glasnow came on a one-out hit by pitch of Rougned Odor in the first inning. Odor later swiped second base and moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch. He, however, struck out Adrian Beltre with two outs to escape the threat.

After the rough first inning, Glasnow found a rhythm on the mound and retired the next 11 batters he faced — taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

But with two outs In the bottom of the fifth, the right-hander allowed an infield single to Isiah Kiner-Falefa for Texas’ first hit on the night.

Be that as it may, outside of a bad start against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 5, in which he allowed seven runs and lasted just two-thirds of an inning, Glasnow has been strong for the Rays, allowing one run or fewer in five of his nine starts, and yielding two hits or fewer in five starts.

He was outstanding. I liked everything, Rays manager Kevin Cash said. I thought he was out of rhythm in the first inning, and I thought he did a nice job of kind of calming the situation down, getting the ball over the plate. He had the breaking balls, the fastballs going, and he threw some changeups. … He’s done just outstanding. The runs he’s given up, it seems like they come off solo home runs a lot, which is fine. Keeping guys off base, and if they’re going to get you, you’d rather it be a solo shot. With the exception of Toronto, we’ve been in every single game. He’s given us an opportunity to win every single game that he’s been out there.

Thomas Pannone allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out six across seven innings on Sunday. Pannone got off to a shaky start after giving up two runs in the first inning, though he managed to bounce back and finish his day with six consecutive scoreless frames. The 24-year-old has appeared in just 10 games this season for Toronto (four starts) and owns a 3.77 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 21 punchouts through 31 innings. Pannone has appeared in two games against the Rays this season, allowing two runs on four hits across 2-2/3 innings. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (1-2), Joey Wendle (1-2, 2B)

TBA

Ryan Borucki threw eight scoreless innings on Monday, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out seven across eight innings. Borucki kept the Orioles off the board, eventually exiting the game after throwing 105 pitches (67 strikes, 64% K/BB). He’s been a reliable starter in 15 starts this season, owning a 3.86 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 57 strikeouts across 84 innings. The right-hander allowed two runs on three hits on two walks in his last start against the Rays. Key Matchups: Carlos Gomez (1-2), Kevin Kiermaier (1-2), Mallex Smith (1-3, RBI)

Noteworthiness

— Rookie outfielder Austin Meadows will be among Tampa Bay’s four additional call-ups from Triple-A Durham the club plans to make on Thursday.

The Bulls’ season ended after Tuesday night’s 14-4 loss to Memphis in the Triple-A National Championship Game.

Meadows batted .302 with 10 home runs and 25 RBI in 36 games for Durham this season. He also played in 49 games for the Pirates earlier this season, slashing .292 BA/.327 OBP/.468 SLG/.795 OPS with five home runs and 13 RBI during his first stint in the big leagues.

Very excited to see him, Kevin Cash said. I know what our staff feels about him, and the impact that he had down there in Durham for the month and a half that he was there. Excited to get him up here.

Meadows, however, may face limited playing time due to the logjam in the outfield.

It’ll be challenging, there’s no doubt, Cash said. We’ll just see how these next couple games shake out and go from there.

The team is also expected to recall LHP Hoby Milner, RHP Austin Pruitt, and RHP Chih-Wei Hu.

Tampa Bay Rays 9/18/18 pregame notes and more

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The Rays kicked off their final road trip of the season on a high note, blanking the Rangers 3-0 — their 13th shutout of the season. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

A night after Tyler Glasnow and three other hurlers shutout the Texas Rangers and allowed just two hits total, the Tampa Bay Rays look to win the series in Arlington. The Rays — who start the day 6.5 games behind the Athletics for the final AL Wildcard spot, and 8.0 games behind the Yankees, who start a three-game series against Boston on Tuesday — collected their 13th shutout on the season, and are winners of 20 out of the last 25 games.

Glasnow allowed the only hits on the night and struck out six over six scoreless innings, allowing the right-hander to pick up his first victory with Tampa Bay in nine starts. The only other baserunner against Glasnow came on a one-out hit by pitch of Rougned Odor in the first inning. Odor later swiped second base and moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch. He, however, struck out Adrian Beltre with two outs to escape the threat.

After the rough first inning, Glasnow found a rhythm on the mound and retired the next 11 batters he faced — taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

But with two outs In the bottom of the fifth, the right-hander allowed an infield single to Isiah Kiner-Falefa for Texas’ first hit on the night.

Be that as it may, outside of a bad start against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 5, in which he allowed seven runs and lasted just two-thirds of an inning, Glasnow has been strong for the Rays, allowing one run or fewer in five of his nine starts, and yielding two hits or fewer in five starts.

He was outstanding. I liked everything, Rays manager Kevin Cash said. I thought he was out of rhythm in the first inning, and I thought he did a nice job of kind of calming the situation down, getting the ball over the plate. He had the breaking balls, the fastballs going, and he threw some changeups. … He’s done just outstanding. The runs he’s given up, it seems like they come off solo home runs a lot, which is fine. Keeping guys off base, and if they’re going to get you, you’d rather it be a solo shot. With the exception of Toronto, we’ve been in every single game. He’s given us an opportunity to win every single game that he’s been out there.

Meanwhile, designated hitter Ji-Man Choi provided all the support Glasnow would need. Choi drove in Mallex Smith on a single in the first inning, then knocked Rangers starter Adrian Sampson out of the game with a solo shot in the sixth.

It was Choi’s 10th home run of the season.

The New What Next

Blake Snell (19-5, 2.03 ERA) looks to become the second player in franchise history to reach the 20-win mark in the second game of the series on Tuesday. He’ll be opposed by Yovani Gallardo (8-5. 5.94 ERA).

Blake Snell picked up his 19th win of the season on Wednesday, allowing one run on just one hit and two walks while striking out nine across seven innings. Snell was dominant, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning before serving up a leadoff solo homer to Jose Ramirez on a hanging curveball. The southpaw has now won seven consecutive games, while his 19 wins are the most in the majors. Snell also owns an impressive 2.03 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and a 10.7 K/9 across 28 starts this season, putting him firmly in the AL Cy Young discussion.

Snell spoke about the potential for win No. 20 Monday night after the game:

Yovani Gallardo allowed six runs on six hits and one walk while fanning four over three innings of a loss to the Angels on Wednesday. Four of the six hits allowed went for extra bases, including a two-run homer by Jose Fernandez, which essentially knocked Gallardo out of the game. Gallardo’s results have gone in the opposite direction since he started the season 7-1 thanks to unsustainable run support. He has lost four of his last five decisions and resembles a pitcher with a 6.67 ERA/5.91 FIP. Key Matchups: Carlos Gomez (3-8, 2B, HR, 4 RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (6-15, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 4 BB)

Rays 9/18/18 Starting Lineup

Wendle 2B
Duffy 3B
Choi DH
Pham LF
Lowe RF
Cron 1B
Kiermaier CF
Adames SS
Sucre C
Snell LHP

You can read about the series in our preview.

The New What Next: Rays vs Rangers, part two — a series preview

Noteworthiness

— Jesus Sucre will get the start behind the plate Tuesday night, as Snell likes throwing to Sucre. Brandon Lowe will get the start in right-field, while Mallex Smith gets the night off.

— Possible yes, probable no. The Rays are holding steady at a 0.2% chance to make playoffs, according to FanGraphs (0.9% per Baseball Prospectus).

The New What Next: Rays vs Rangers, part two — a series preview

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The Rays finished off their nine-game homestand with a 7-2 record, including four wins against two pretty good teams. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays finished off their penultimate homestand of the 2018 season in dramatic fashion, winning two out of three against the Oakland Athletics, who lead them in the AL Wildcard race with 14 left to play. Following the 5-4 win against Oakland on Sunday, the Rays hit the road for their final road trip of the season, kicking off with a three-game series against the Texas Rangers, in Arlington. The Rangers are coming off a two-game series win against the Padres, although they dropped their series finale in San Diego.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

While improbable (yet not impossible), the Rays are still in the fight for a postseason berth. They start the series with the Rangers seven games behind the Athletics — although they did pick up a couple of games this weekend — and surprisingly 8-1/2 games behind the Yankees, whom they’ll face at home from September 24 – 27. Tampa Bay does have a tragic number of seven, so it will be incumbent on the kids to keep up their tepid spate of play in the hope that either the Athletics or the Yankees — who have lost five of their last 10 — will fall off the pace.

For what it’s worth, the A’s will face the Angels six more times this season, and the Mariners three more times. Thus far the Athletics are 6-7 vs. Anaheim and 7-9 vs. Seattle. Meanwhile, the Yankees open up a series against Red Sox on Monday, and they are 5-8 against Boston this season.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Even though Texas has gone 6-9 over the last 15 games, there really isn’t an opportunity for the Rays to take the Rangers for granted. Tampa Bay beat Texas two games to one back in April, although with just a +1 run differential. If the previous two series against Cleveland and Oakland were must wins in order to gain ground in the postseason chase, this set is equally as important as Tampa Bay attempts to keep pace with the Athletics and now the Yankees.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will lean on Tyler Glasnow (1-6, 4.48 ERA), AL Cy Young Award candidate Blake Snell (19-5, 2.03 ERA), and a pitcher to be named before Thursday’s ballgame. Jeff Banister will counter with Adrian Sampson (0-1, 1.80 ERA), Yovani Gallardo (8-5. 5.94 ERA), and Yohander Méndez (1-1, 5.54 ERA).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Tyler Glasnow tossed a solid bounce-back performance last Tuesday, after giving up seven runs in his previous outing against Toronto. With the game tied at zero in the fifth inning, Yan Gomes launched a 0-1 breaking ball over the centerfield wall, his 14th home run of the season. An inning later, Edwin Encarnacion crushed a first-pitch fastball into the left-field seats, his 30th. Those were the only runs Glasnow would allow across seven innings as he limited Cleveland to six hits while striking out three. Glasnow has given up just three runs in 14 innings against Cleveland, yet he has not received any run support.

Adrian Sampson allowed one run on two hits and a walk while striking out two across five innings on Tuesday. Sampson was a hard-luck loser as Texas was shut down by a parade of Angels relievers. The right-hander doesn’t have overpowering stuff and threw mostly sinkers, mixing in a changeup or a slider from time to time in what became his second career big league start. The right-hander made his first start back in 2016, but suffered a flexor tendon injury in his right arm while warming up for his second and has spent two years trying to get back to the bigs.

Blake Snell picked up his 19th win of the season on Wednesday, allowing one run on just one hit and two walks while striking out nine across seven innings. Snell was dominant, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning before serving up a leadoff solo homer to Jose Ramirez on a hanging curveball. The southpaw has now won seven consecutive games, while his 19 wins are the most in the majors. Snell also owns an impressive 2.03 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and a 10.7 K/9 across 28 starts this season, putting him firmly in the AL Cy Young discussion.

Yovani Gallardo allowed six runs on six hits and one walk while fanning four over three innings of a loss to the Angels on Wednesday. Four of the six hits allowed went for extra bases, including a two-run homer by Jose Fernandez, which essentially knocked Gallardo out of the game. Gallardo’s results have gone in the opposite direction since he started the season 7-1 thanks to unsustainable run support. He has lost four of his last five decisions and resembles a pitcher with a 6.67 ERA/5.91 FIP. Key Matchups: Carlos Gomez (3-8, 2B, HR, 4 RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (6-15, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 4 BB)

TBA

Yohander Méndez pitched well on Friday, tossing five scoreless innings of relief while allowing three hits and three walks with five strikeouts. He was called upon after “opener” Connor Sadzeck tossed one scoreless inning. Mendez has managed to drop his ERA from 14.73 to 3.86 over his last 15 innings, giving up just two runs and seven hits over that span. This season, he has relied primarily on a 93 mph four-seam fastball with natural sinking action but little natural movement, while also mixing in a firm 84 mph changeup with slight cutting action, a 91 mph sinker, and 85 mph slider, and an 80 mph curveball. Key Matchups: Jesus Sucre (1-1)

LBWMF: Tampa Bay Rays fall to Shane Bieber and Cleveland, 2-0

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(Photo Credit: X-Rays Spex)

Tyler Glasnow put together another quality start against Cleveland, yet Shane Bieber was just a bit better on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays saw their 12-game home win streak come to an end with the 2-0 loss — their first home loss since August 8th.

With the game tied at zero in the fifth inning, Yan Gomes launched a 0-1 breaking ball over the centerfield wall, his 14th home run of the season. An inning later, Edwin Encarnacion crushed a first-pitch fastball into the left-field seats, his 30th.

Those were the only runs Glasnow would allow across seven innings as he limited Cleveland to six hits while striking out three.

It was a solid bounce-back performance for the right-hander, who gave up seven runs in his previous outing against Toronto. Glasnow has given up just three runs in 14 innings against Cleveland, yet he has not received any run support.

Bieber, who gave up four runs across 5-1/3 innings on September 1, was dominant Tuesday night. In the first inning, Tommy Pham hit a single, which was the only hit allowed by the right-hander until Ji-Man Choi’s two-out base hit in the sixth. Even though Bieber issued a career-high three walks, the command of his four-seam fastball was masterful, which helped to set up a career-high 11 strikeouts.

That is not to say Tampa Bay didn’t have scoring opportunities.

In the fourth inning, Pham walked then swiped second to start the frame. However, Bieber struck out Choi and C.J. Cron before Joey Wendle lined out to second. Then in the seventh inning, Wendle hit a first-pitch double to left-center before  Bieber got Willy Adames to ground out to short and Brandon Lowe to fly out to shallow left. Things began to look up ahen Jake Bauers worked a four-pitch walk, which chased the right-hander in favor of southpaw Brad Hand. Matt Duffy (back strain), who hadn’t started for the second consecutive day, pinch-hit for Nick Ciuffo, and walked on four pitches to load the bases for Mallex Smith and his .365 batting average vs. left-handers. But as fate would have it, after Smith worked the count to 3-0, Hand came back on a 3-2 pitch to get Smith to pop out to shallow left to end the threat.

Meanwhile, Vidal Nuno and Andrew Kittredge combined to keep Cleveland off the board in the eighth, and Jaime Schultz did the same in the ninth, keeping Tampa Bay in the game.

Hand came back out an inning later and retired the side. Finally, Wendle singled to open the ninth against closer Cody Allen, but the Rays got nothing more.

The New What Next

Blake Snell (18-5, 2.06) will get the start in the final game of the series, pitching opposite of Carlos Carrasco (16-8, 3.41 ERA).

Snell threw five innings of scoreless ball on 90 pitches on Friday 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.

Carrasco allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits while striking out 14 across eight innings on Friday. Carrasco surrendered an unearned run in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly, followed by another run in the seventh. Despite fanning 10 or more batters for the fifth time this season, he left with the game tied at two apiece. The right-hander was sharp following an uncharacteristic outing his last turn through the rotation, allowing five runs across 6-1/3 innings against the Rays. The 31-year-old owns a solid 3.43 ERA/2.95 FIP with 199 strikeouts over 168 innings this season. Carrasco is 4-4 with a 3.21 ERA in nine career starts against the Rays, and 4-0 with a 1.11 ERA in four starts at the Trop. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (2-3), CJ Cron (2-3, 2B, HR, RBI), Brandon Lowe (1-3, HR, RBI), Tommy Pham (2-4, 3B, RBI), Mallex Smith (1-3), Joey Wendle (1-4, 2B, RBI)

Rays 9/12/18 Starting Lineup

Smith RF
Wendle 3B
Pham LF
Choi DH
Lowe 2B
Kiermaier CF
Bauers 1B
Sucre C
Velazquez SS
Snell LHP

You can read about the series in our preview.

The New What Next: Rays vs Cleveland, part two — a series preview

Noteworthiness

— Per Marc Topkin, Kevin Kiermaier didn’t want to provide details of what team called “general illness,” but said “It was a tough couple of days for me,” and that he had never felt that bad before, but “Time and rest have helped.” Eager to be playing today.

The New What Next: Rays vs Cleveland, part two — a series preview

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The kids absolutely demoralized the Orioles this weekend past, sweeping the series and plating 32 total runs. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

A day after the Tampa Bay Rays sent the Orioles back to Baltimore in the throes of a four-game losing streak, they welcome the AL Central-leading squad from Cleveland into the Trop for an important three-game series. The Rays outscored the birds 32-10, while Cleveland split a four-game series against the Blue Jays.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

Tampa Bay continued its hot run this past weekend and have won 16 of 20 overall. Of those 16 wins, two came against Cleveland who the Rays faced a little more than a week ago. Suffice it to say, they are playing their best baseball since 2013 — when the Rays last went to the postseason.

Tampa Bay has won 11 consecutive games at Tropicana Field, improving to 78-64 on the season. Not since finishing the 2013 season at 92-71 have the Rays been as many as 14 games over .500.

Cleveland has gone 5-5 over the last 10 games, including losses to the Rays, Royals, and BlueJays. To their credit, Cleveland has performed very well against the AL Central, however, it’s a different story against teams outside of the division, having gone 35-37. While Cleveland has fared well on the road, they have won only four more games than they have lost (37-33).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

According to BaseRuns, the Rays should have an 84-57 record thanks to 4.52 runs scored and 3.68 runs allowed (on average per game). Compare that to Cleveland, which has performed to their 81-61 record per the same metric. That is to say, Tampa Bay is a better team, at least statistically. Still, good pitching defeats good hitting, and Cleveland’s top of the rotation hurlers will take the mound this week.

In short, this will be an important series for the Rays as they try to keep pace with the Athletics in the AL Wildcard race. A series win will give Tampa Bay a lot of swagger going to the weekend series against Oakland, while a loss will surely make it a lot more difficult to reach the postseason.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will lean on Jalen Beeks (4-1, 5.67 ERA) — who will take the mound after opener Diego Castillo (3-2, 3.40 ERA) — Tyler Glasnow (1-5, 4.64 ERA), and Blake Snell (18-5, 2.06 ERA). Terry Francona will counter with Corey Kluber (18-7, 2.75 ERA), Shane Bieber (9-3, 4.63 ERA), and Carlos Carrasco (15-8, 3.43 ERA).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Diego Castillo last pitched on Saturday, throwing one inning of scoreless ball, but allowing one hit and a walk. Castillo has opened five times, allowing three runs across 6-1/3 innings of work.

Jalen Beeks continued to show well with Tampa Bay on Tuesday, hurling 2-2/3 shutout innings against Toronto while allowing one hit and no walks. He struck out four. Beeks cruised through Toronto’s lineup until the sixth inning when he gave up a leadoff single Aledmys Díaz, who was sacrificed to second a batter later. He was pulled shortly after when the Rays skipper chose to play the matchup game. Still, the left-hander threw 77% of his 31 pitches for strikes, as well as 8/9 first-pitch strikes. Over the span of his eight outings with the Rays, Beeks has progressively lowered his ERA from 15.83 to 5.67 where it currently sits.

Corey Kluber picked up the win Wednesday against Kansas City, allowing one run on two hits and one walk across 6-2/3 innings. He struck out 10. It was business as usual for Kluber, who allowed just two hits all evening while keeping the bases clear for five of the seven innings he appeared in. His 10 punch-outs were the most he’s recorded in a start since May 30, and he’s now primed to surpass 200 strikeouts for the fifth consecutive season. Kluber was outstanding in his last start against Tampa Bay, throwing seven shutout innings while allowing just two hits. Overall, Kluber is 5-2 with a 2.17 ERA in nine starts against the Rays, but 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA in four starts at the Trop. That extra earned run allowed will be important for Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: CJ Cron (3-8, 2 2B), Kevin Kiermaier (3-11, 2B, 3B, 3 BB), Joey Wendle (1-3)

Tyler Glasnow was hit hard by the Blue Jays on Wednesday, allowing seven runs on five hits and two walks while recording just two outs. He struck out two. The right-hander just didn’t have it in this one, as Glasnow couldn’t make it out of the first inning. He issued a leadoff walk before allowing four of the next five batters to reach via base hits, putting Toronto up 3-0. Glasnow then served up a three-run homer to Aledmys Diaz. Adding insult to injury, the 25-year-old was almost out of the inning, but a wild pitch allowed Billy McKinney to reach base on a strikeout and Glasnow was chased after having thrown 39 pitches. The disastrous outing raised his ERA from 3.95 to 4.64.

Shane Bieber allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out six across 6-1/3 innings on Thursday against the Blue Jays. All four of the runs against Bieber came in the fourth inning when he allowed four of the first five batters he faced to reach base. It was an impressive outing for Bieber otherwise, as 15 of his 19 outs came on either groundballs or strikeouts, limiting Toronto’s chance to do damage. It was a welcome change for Bieber, who had failed to record a quality start in three of his past four starts. The Rays tagged Bieber for four runs on nine hits across 5-1/3 innings on September 1. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (1-2), Jake Bauers (1-2, 2B), Ji-Man Choi (2-3, 2 2B), Matt Duffy (1-3, 2B, 2 RBI), Brandon Lowe (1-2), Joey Wendle (2-3, 2B)

Blake Snell threw five innings of scoreless ball on 90 pitches on Friday 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.

Carlos Carrasco allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits while striking out 14 across eight innings on Friday. Carrasco surrendered an unearned run in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly, followed by another run in the seventh. Despite fanning 10 or more batters for the fifth time this season, he left with the game tied at two apiece. The right-hander was sharp following an uncharacteristic outing his last turn through the rotation, allowing five runs across 6-1/3 innings against the Rays. The 31-year-old owns a solid 3.43 ERA/2.95 FIP with 199 strikeouts over 168 innings this season. Carrasco is 4-4 with a 3.21 ERA in nine career starts against the Rays, and 4-0 with a 1.11 ERA in four starts at the Trop. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (2-3), CJ Cron (2-3, 2B, HR, RBI), Brandon Lowe (1-3, HR, RBI), Tommy Pham (2-4, 3B, RBI), Mallex Smith (1-3), Joey Wendle (1-4, 2B, RBI)