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LBWMF: Rays rally in the 13th to defeat the Athletics, 1-0

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The Rays won just their second extra inning 1-0 victory in franchise history on Monday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Tampa Bay rallied with two outs in the 13th inning for the game’s only run, as the Rays defeated the Athletics 1-0 on Memorial Day. It was their first shutout of the season, just the second 1-0 extra-innings victory in franchise history, and the third straight win as the Rays got back to .500 for the third time this season.

Chris Archer got the start for Tampa Bay, and threw six innings of shutout baseball. He allowed four hits, walked two and struck out seven. Even though his slider was inconsistent all day — at times it showed good tilt and finish, while at other times it stayed up in the zone and looked flat — his fastball was more on point, which made his rolling sliders effective as off speed pitches. Even so, his fastball command was erratic as well, as Archer threw just 18 of 35 heaters for strikes, and just 10 of 22 first pitch strikes over his six innings of work.

Home plate umpire Paul Nauert did no favors for Tampa Bay — pinching Archer (and those who followed) on more than a few on the black strikes, and calling them for balls, yet giving Trevor Cahill the benefit of the doubt on pitches in the same location. While the strikeszone map below is incomplete, it effectively shows a smattering of pitches from Rays hurlers that should have been called strikes, but weren’t. In spite of that, Archer pitched effectively and didn’t get into trouble until the fourth and sixth innings.

Evan the incomplete strike zone map shows that Tampa Bay got pinched on more than a few calls by home plate umpire, Paul Nauert, yesterday afternoon. (Credit: Brooks Baseball)

Marcus Semien led off the fourth by lashing a sharp single to left, and Jed Lowrie followed and worked the count full. With Semien running, Archer rolled a slider at the top of zone that Lowrie swung through for strike three. The pitch was handled perfectly by Jesus Sucre, who fired a laser down to second, where Joey Wendle slapped a quick tag on Semien, well ahead of the bag, to complete a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play.

The timing of the double play was fortuitous, as Matt Olson shot a 1-0 fastball into the right-center gap for a double. It would have plated the go ahead run had Semien reached second safely, but with the bases empty before the hit, Archer was able to instead make a good pitch and coax a tapper out of Chad Pinder to end the frame unscathed.

Then Jonathan Lucroy led off the sixth with an infield single before Archer fell behind Matt Joyce 3-0. He, however, battled back to a full count and got the former Ray to pop out to Matt Duffy. However, Archer walked Semien and Lowrie to load the bases, eliciting a mound visit by Kyle Snyder with starter Sergio Romo warming in the ‘pen — giving the right-hander a chance  to collect himself.

Archer threw a first pitch slider to Olson, who chopped into the shift for an odd looking, yet effective, 6-4-3 double play.

Oakland also had another great opportunity to win the game in the ninth, yet Matt Andriese entered with two on (Lowrie double off the wall, Olson walk against Jose Alvarado) and none out, and got the next three batters in order to send the game to extra innings. Sucre helped in the inning, pouncing on a sacrifice bunt that took a fortunate hop to get the force at third. The play was reviewed, but the call was confirmed.

Sucre also prevented a pair of wild pitches in that inning.

Andriese went on to pitch three perfect innings ahead of Ryne Stanek, who pitched a scoreless 12th.

Meanwhile, two outs into the top of the 13th, Johnny Field started the go ahead rally by grounding an infield hit into the hole at short. Semien fielded the play, but couldn’t come up with it. Sucre followed by driving a single into center, pushing Field up to second. Mallex Smith then got ahead of Chris Hatcher 2-0 before he lined a fastball over the head of Lowrie and into right-center for another single. The throw home from Stephen Piscotty was too late to beat the head-first slide of Field, who scored from second.

Stanek came back out in the bottom of the frame and got the first two outs sandwiched around a Semien walk. Cash called on Venters to face Olson, and after a seven pitch battle — including a 71 mph curveball at the top of the zone — Oakland’s first baseman went down on a foul tip strikeout to end the game, earning Venters his first save since August 22, 2011.

The New What Next

The Rays can get over .500 for the first time since Opening Day on Tuesday with Blake Snell (6-3, 2.78 ERA) starting opposite Daniel Gossett (0-2, 6.28 ERA).

Blake Snell blanked the Red Sox on three hits over six strong innings on Thursday, fanning eight and walking two. By shutting down a tough Boston lineup, the southpaw kept his strong start to the season rolling — collecting his sixth victory of the campaign and lowering his ERA to 2.78. Despite averaging a 3.79 ERA over his 218-1/3 career big-league innings coming into the season, Snell’s 1.02 WHIP and 3.21 K/BB over 58-2/3 innings this season certainly look like the real deal in the early goings of the 2018 campaign.

Daniel Gossett allowed just one unearned run on four hits and a walk with five punch-outs over seven innings in a hard luck loss Wednesday against the Mariners. That was the best start of the season for the 25 year-old right-hander, who previously allowed five and four runs (respectively) over 7-1/3 innings of his first two outings this season. So far he has relied primarily on his 94 mph four-seam fastball that is bereft of movement, and a hard 89 mph worm killer slider, while also mixing in a 93 mph sinker with little arm-side run and sink, a firm 86 mph changeup with slight cut action, and a whiffy 81 mph curveball. Gossett is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in one career start against the Rays (totaling seven innings). Key Matchup: CJ Cron (1-3)

You can read more about the series in our preview.

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

Rays 5/29/18 Starting Lineup

Miller 1B
Cron DH
Wendle 2B
Ramos C
Duffy 3B
Smith CF
Robertson SS
Gomez RF
Field LF
Snell LHP

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

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The Rays ended their home stand having won 2-of-3 against the Orioles, and winners of eight of their last 12 series. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays and the Oakland Athletics begin a four-game series on Memorial Day at the Oakland Coliseum, in the other Bay Area. The Rays are coming off a mediocre 3-3 home stand against Boston and Baltimore, but are winners of three of their last four games. Meanwhile, the A’s had similar results against Seattle and Arizona.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

The Rays didn’t fare well with runners in scoring position in their last series, going just 7-for-36. However, Tampa Bay went 7-for-26 in games two and three, for a much more palatable .267 BA wRISP. Had the Rays been able to cash in on the 10 wRISP opportunities on Friday, they’d easily have swept the Orioles.

Oakland won its last series against Arizona, but scored just six runs in total. That’s a testament to the Athletics’ pitching staff, which has performed to a combined 2.62 ERA/3.50 FIP over the last seven games. However, the same staff has performed to an overall 4.09 ERA/4.20 FIP on the season, while allowing an average of 4.38 runs per game. Compare that to Tampa Bay, which has scored 4.45 runs per game (on average), but allowed 4.07.

They say in order to be successful in baseball, you must beat those directly ahead of you in the rankings. As it stands, the Athletics are two games ahead of the Rays in the Wildcard standings. True, it may be a fool’s errand to even think about Postseason baseball 50-games into the 2018 season, especially when the Rays are still one game under .500. One also cannot discount the trade whispers surrounding the team, which bring uncertainty and unease. Be that as it may, the Rays have an opportunity to leap-frog a direct competitor — one that is under-performing Tampa Bay, at least as it relates to BaseRuns. The Rays are performing more like a 27-23 team, with a +19 run differential, while Oakland should be 26-26 on the season with a +4 run differential. They also have outperformed the Athletics in every offensive category over the last 14-days, with the exceptions od ISO and HR%. If Archer and company can keep the ball in the park, they have a good chance of winning the series.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

In the end there is a reason the Rays are 21-1 when they score at least five runs, and that’s due in part to the pitching staff which has performed to a combined 3.66 ERA/4.02 FIP throughout the month of May. Can they continue to perform well against the +.500 team from Oakland?

Noteworthiness

Over the next four days Kevin Cash will lean on Chris Archer (3-3, 4.68 ERA), Blake Snell (6-3, 2.78 ERA), Nathan Eovaldi (0-0, 0.00 ERA), and the bullpen (11-12, 4.19 ERA). Bob Melvin will counter with Trevor Cahill (1-2, 2.75 ERA), Daniel Gossett (0-2, 6.28 ERA), Sean Manaea (5-5, 3.34 ERA), and Daniel Mengdon (5-4, 2.85 ERA).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Chris Archer allowed one run on four hits and three walks through six innings Wednesday night against Boston. He struck out six. Archer dueled his mentor, David Price, pitch for pitch in the marquee matchup. He looks to close out a strong May effort after a horrible first month of play which found Archer performing to a 6.61 ERA, and a 1.59 WHIP in six starts. In five May starts, Archer owns a 2.76 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP. The main difference? He has kept the ball in the yard; Archer allowed a homer in each of his first six starts, yet aside from his worst May start against the Orioles on May 12 — in which he gave up three home runs — Archer hasn’t allowed a long ball all month. Archer is 1-0 with a 3.97 ERA in two career starts against Oakland, both of which came at the Trop.

Trevor Cahill pitched well despite taking a no-decision against Seattle on Tuesday, throwing a season-high 102 pitches. A two-run homer by Mike Zunino in the seventh inning was his only blemish. Cahill has thrown four quality starts this season, in six total games, and hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any given outing. Nevertheless, his offense hasn’t given him enough run support, alas a 1-2 record. This season he has relied primarily on a 92 mph worm killer sinker and a whiffy 85 mph changeup, while also mixing in an 88 mph 12-6 slider, a hard 80 mph knuckle curveball with sharp downward bite, and a whiffy 93 mph four-seam fastball. The 30 year-old right-hander is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in five career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchup: Carlos Gomez (2-3, RBI)

Blake Snell blanked the Red Sox on three hits over six strong innings on Thursday, fanning eight and walking two. By shutting down a tough Boston lineup, the southpaw kept his strong start to the season rolling — collecting his sixth victory of the campaign and lowering his ERA to 2.78. Despite averaging a 3.79 ERA over his 218-1/3 career big-league innings coming into the season, Snell’s 1.02 WHIP and 3.21 K/BB over 58-2/3 innings this season certainly look like the real deal in the early goings of the 2018 campaign.

Daniel Gossett allowed just one unearned run on four hits and a walk with five punch-outs over seven innings in a hard luck loss Wednesday against the Mariners. That was the best start of the season for the 25 year-old right-hander, who previously allowed five and four runs (respectively) over 7-1/3 innings of his first two outings this season. So far he has relied primarily on his 94 mph four-seam fastball that is bereft of movement, and a hard 89 mph worm killer slider, while also mixing in a 93 mph sinker with little arm-side run and sink, a firm 86 mph changeup with slight cut action, and a whiffy 81 mph curveball. Gossett is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in one career start against the Rays (totaling seven innings). Key Matchup: CJ Cron (1-3)

Nathan Eovaldi was on the disabled list since March 28 with loose bodies in his right elbow. After arthroscopic surgery and a slight setback, Eovaldi is scheduled to make his first start of the season Wednesday at Oakland.

The team reportedly toyed with the idea of starting Eovaldi on Tuesday, splitting up Chris Archer and Blake Snell in the rotation, but that plan changed Sunday.

I think just given how we stacked up, we talked about maybe inserting Nate, but then you can also make the argument on the flip side, it’s been working pretty good for (Chris Archer and Matt Snell), they kind of complement each other in that they’re different and they attack differently, Cash said. Obviously, one is right, one is left. So to keep them back to back after a little more time thinking, that’s what we decided to do.

In his last season of action (2016) he relied primarily on a hard 98 mph four-seam fastball with natural sinking action and slight arm-side run, and an 89 mph splitter which boasts some natural sink, while also mixing in a hard 87 mph slider, and a 94 mph cutter with good “rise” and little cut action.

Sean Manaea allowed six runs on eight hits over 3-2/3 innings against Arizona on Friday, striking out two and walking a pair in a losing effort. Manaea allowed four extra-base hits during his very short outing, the last of which was a two-run triple by Paul Goldschmidt that knocked him out of the game. This was Manaea’s shortest outing of the season and the first time he’s given up more than four runs. After a fantastic April — he allowed just four earned runs across five starts, including a no-no against Boston on April 21 — Manaea has allowed a total of 21 earned runs through five starts in May, bringing his ERA to 3.34. This season he has relied primarily on his 91 mph four-seam fastball with heavy sinking action and obvious run, and an 83 mph worm-killer changeup with slight cut action, while also mixing in an 80 mph 12-6 slider with two-plane movement. He is 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA in two career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: CJ Cron (2-8), Rob Refsnyder (2-6, 2B, 2 RBI), Daniel Robertson (1-3), Mallex Smith (2-3)

The Rays have not yet named a starter in the series finale. I will update this piece once one is named.

Daniel Mengdon tossed a two-hit gem Saturday against the Diamondbacks, en route to his fifth win of the season. He fanned five and issued zero walks. Mengdon continued to dominate, as he has now given up just four earned runs over his last 33-2/3 innings (1.07 ERA), including a current 17-inning scoreless streak. The 25 year-old right-hander coaxed 13 ground balls in that outing, which has been a big part of his success over this stretch. However, with only 43 strikeouts in 66-1/3 innings this season, and an insanely lucky — and unsustainable — .164 BABIP over the last 14-days, a regression is anticipated. This season he has relied primarily on his 93 mph four-seam fastball with some added backspin, while also mixing in an 85 mph slider with two-plane movement, a 93 mph sinker with little armside run and almost no sinking action, an 83 mph changeup that has some slight arm-side fade, and a 73 mph curveball. Key Matchup: CJ Cron (1-2)

Rays 5/23/18 pregame notes; injury and roster updates

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Take two. The Rays will try to snap a two-game losing skid after falling to Chris Sale and the Red Sox, 4-2, last night. (Photo Credit: Anthony Ateek/X-Rays Spex)

After a 4-2 loss, in an injury marred contest against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays look to bounce back and snap a two-game losing skid on Wednesday night.

On the subject of injuries, the Rays made a pair of roster moves Wednesday, placing Jake Faria on the disabled list with a strained left oblique, and recalling LHP Vidal Nuno to take his place. Faria, like Jake Odorizzi who sustained a similar injury in 2015, could miss six-to-eight weeks based on the severity of the strain.

A corresponding 40-man move will need to be made to add Nuno, who is 3-1 with a 3.57 ERA in seven starts (eight appearances) at Durham. He has walked just three and struck out 37 across 40-1/3 innings. Nuno told Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) he is thankful to be back in the Major Leagues and excited to potentially face the Orioles, who he spent the 2017 season with.

Still the addition of Nuno, over rostered options like RHP Chih-Wei Hu, RHP Hunter Wood and RHP Andrew Kittredge (among others), is a bit surprising. In any case, he was likely chosen for his ability to work across multiple innings.

Nathan Eovaldi is slated to make one last tuneup start for Durham today. It is unclear how his return might impact Nuno’s stay with the team, if at all. It should be noted, Austin Pruitt has options remaining and could be optioned back to Durham instead of exposing Nuno to waivers should his stay be brief.

Tampa Bay will have eight right-handed hitters in the lineup tonight, with Wilson Ramos sitting out after suffering a bruised left hand. Ramos though isn’t expected to go on the DL.

The New What Next

Chris Archer (3-3, 5.01 ERA) will get the start for Tampa Bay, pitching opposite his friend and former teammate David Price (4-4, 4.38 ERA).

Chris Archer notched his third win of the season on Thursday against the Angels, throwing 6-2/3 shutout innings, and allowing just two hits while striking out five, but walking four. After getting tagged for six earned runs in his last start, Archer was able to bounce back with a strong outing — only his third quality start in his last four turns. Overall he still has been erratic, and sports an unsightly 5.01 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP through 59-1/3 innings. They say familiarity breeds contempt, and likewise Boston has owned Archer over his 20 career starts, pegging him with a 2-12 record and a 5.49.

David Price tossed his best outing of the season on Thursday, posting a complete game, two-run five-hit gem, against Baltimore. He struck out eight. The only runs that were charged to his line came on a ninth inning, two-out, two-run homer to Manny Machado, but the blast was not enough to ruin Price’s second consecutive strong effort, completed on an efficient 95 pitches (65 strikes, 68% strike rate). The southpaw recently copped to a bout with carpal tunnel syndrome, which comes as no surprise to anyone that follows Price and knows his proclivity for video games. The former Ray has had a tough time against his previous team, going 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA. Price is 37-30 with a 2.84 ERA in 90 career starts at Tropicana Field. Key Matchups: CJ Cron (5-18, 2 2B), Wilson Ramos (4-11, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB)

You can read about the series in our preview.

The New What Next: Rays vs Red Sox — a series preview, part four

Rays 5/23/18 Starting Lineup

Span LF
Cron 1B
Robertson DH
Duffy 3B
Adames SS
Field CF
Refsnyder RF
Arroyo 2B
Sucre C
Archer RHP

Noteworthiness

— Willy Adames, one of the players traded for Price in 2014, will face the southpaw in his second big league game. Adames told Solondz yesterday that he’s excited about the opportunity. The infielder became the fifth player in franchise history to homer in his first Major League game, joining former Ray Brandon Guyer (May 6, 2011, at Baltimore). He also became the first player to ever hit a homer in his first career game at Tropicana Field.

The New What Next: Rays vs Red Sox — a series preview, part four

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In spite of falling 5-2 in the series finale against the Angels, the Rays returned home with a +.500 road record on their most recent trek, and in third place in the AL East. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After a successful +.500 road trip that got off to a disastrous 1-3 start, the Tampa Bay Rays return to Tropicana Field on Tuesday, where they will kick off a three game series against the Boston Red Sox. After dropping six out of seven prior to their road trek, the Rays bounced back to win six straight and take sole possession of third place in the AL East, surpassing Toronto. Meanwhile, Boston has vacillated between first and second place in the division all season long, and are currently tied with the Yankees at the top, although New York has a higher winning percentage. The Sox have won two straight and four of five.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

The Rays started off the season off horribly and looked liked they would be competing with the Orioles for cellar in the division, but they have turned things around. And after starting the season 1-6 against Boston, Tampa Bay took two of three from the Red Sox in their last meeting at Fenway in April — winning the series and outscoring the Massholes 19-13. They did not see Chris Sale in that series, yet the did butt heads with David Price, and beat him once again; the fourth time in 11 tries.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days Kevin Cash will lean on Jake Faria (3-2, 5.20 ERA), Chris Archer (3-3, 5.01 ERA), and Blake Snell (5-3, 3.07 ERA). Alex Cora will counter with Chris Sale (4-1, 2.29 ERA), David Price (4-4, 4.38 ERA), and a pitcher to be named before Thursday’s ball game.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Jake Faria gave up three runs on four hits and four walks while striking out two over 4-1/3 innings on Wednesday against the Royals. He did not factor into the decision. Faria was staked to a four-run lead heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, when the bottom fell out. The right-hander got into an early jam in the inning and already had an elevated pitch count, signaling the end of his start. Control was the culprit, as Faria recorded more walks than strikeouts for the third time this season en route to a pedestrian 1.67 K/BB on the year. Even so, he is 5-2 with a 2.64 ERA in 10 career starts at Tropicana Field.

Chris Sale allowed two runs on two hits and four walks over just five innings to pick up the win Wednesday over Oakland. He struck out nine. Sale was effectively wild, and needed 102 pitches to get through five innings of work, however, he was as nasty as usual. His fastball alone coaxed 10 swinging strikes in 66 offerings, and that’s not to speak of his sweeping slider. Sale was touched up for a two-run homer by Marcus Semien, the sixth he’s allowed in his last six starts. Nevertheless, Sale has been effective despite the home run problem (a 13.6% HR/FB over the last 14-days) — his peripherals are powered by a ridiculous 5.6 K/BB over 41 innings in those six starts. Sale is 8-5 with a 3.10 ERA in 15 starts against the Rays, and 3-3 with a 2.02 ERA in eight starts at the Trop. Key Matchups: Wilson Ramos (4-13, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI), Rob Refsnyder (1-3), Denard Span (3-12, 3B, RBI)

Chris Archer notched his third win of the season on Thursday against the Angels, throwing 6-2/3 shutout innings, and allowing just two hits while striking out five, but walking four. After getting tagged for six earned runs in his last start, Archer was able to bounce back with a strong outing — only his third quality start in his last four turns. Overall he still has been erratic, and sports an unsightly 5.01 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP through 59-1/3 innings. They say familiarity breeds contempt, and likewise Boston has owned Archer over his 20 career starts, pegging him with a 2-12 record and a 5.49.

David Price tossed his best outing of the season on Thursday, posting a complete game, two-run five-hit gem, against Baltimore. He struck out eight. The only runs that were charged to his line came on a ninth inning, two-out, two-run homer to Manny Machado, but the blast was not enough to ruin Price’s second consecutive strong effort, completed on an efficient 95 pitches (65 strikes, 68% strike rate). The southpaw recently copped to a bout with carpal tunnel syndrome, which comes as no surprise to anyone that follows Price and knows his proclivity for video games. The former Ray has had a tough time against his previous team, going 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA. Price is 37-30 with a 2.84 ERA in 90 career starts at Tropicana Field. Key Matchups: CJ Cron (5-18, 2 2B), Wilson Ramos (4-11, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB)

Blake Snell didn’t put together a perfect inning until the sixth, yet he made big pitches when he needed to, holding the Angels scoreless until the fifth when Andrelton Simmons hit a two-run, two-strike single to center with one out — cutting the lead to four runs. Still, the southpaw stranded leadoff doubles in the second and third innings, and held Los Angeles to 1-9 with runners in scoring position.

After the Simmons single, Snell retired his next seven batters, collecting three punch outs along the way. He scattered four hits and two runs over 6-2/3 innings, walking three and fanning eight. Snell threw 70 of 114 pitches for strikes (61% strike rate).

Red Sox starter to be announced.

Noteworthiness

— OF Carlos Gomez (right groin strain) has progressed to playing catch and will ramp up baseball activities on Tuesday in hopes of returning when eligible on Saturday (or shortly after).

— SS Adeiny Hechavarria (right hamstring) is still in the “getting treatment” stage, according to Rays skipper Kevin Cash.

— RHP Nathan Eovaldi (arthroscopic elbow surgery) will make his fourth, and likely final, rehab start on Wednesday for Triple-A Durham.

— On Tuesday, Tampa native Christian Arroyo is slated to play his first home game for the Rays.

I’m looking forward to it, Arroyo said. It’ll be fun, part of that whole homecoming thing. It’ll be exciting.

Arroyo joined the club last week when shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria was injured and quickly made a good first impression, going 4-10 with a triple, two-runs and an RBI.

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

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After dropping three of four in Baltimore, the Rays bounced back to sweep the Royals. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays are set to kick off a four-game visit to Angel Stadium in Anaheim, where they will battle the Los Angeles Angels this weekend. Tampa Bay is coming off a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals, while Los Angeles just dropped two-of-three to the AL West leading Houston Astros.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

Tampa Bay enters the series with a 19-22 record on the season, although the team was able to take all three games at Kaufman Stadium — the Rays’ first sweep of the Royals since 2011, and the first in Kansas City since 2009. Prior to that, they had lost six of seven following a spate of play where the team was able to make up eight games in the loss column. If the Rays has any hope of being a part of the Wildcard race, then they will need to be much more consistent at the plate. To their credit, they were able to tag the Royals for 13 runs, although they have averaged just 3.67 runs per game over their last nine games …  and that just won’t get it done. While they have averaged 4.45 runs per game on the road this year, they have also allowed 5.45 runs per game under the same parameters.

The Angels have been very good at the plate so far, ranking sixth in the league in scoring — putting up 4.93 runs per game —  while also ranking second in homers with 58. They, however, have averaged 4.12 runs per game at home, while in the same breath allowing 4.96 runs per game.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Tampa Bay took four of the seven games from the Halos last season (2-1 at Angel Stadium).

Pitching Probables

Over the next four days, Kevin Cash will lean on Chris Archer (2-3, 5.64 ERA), Blake Snell (4-3, 3.12 ERA), Ryan Yarbrough (3-2, 3.93 ERA) and Anthony Banda (0-0, 5.40 ERA). Mike Scioscia will counter with Tyler Skaggs (3-2, 3.07 ERA), Nick Tropeano (1-2, 3.64 ERA), Andrew Heaney (2-2, 3.93 ERA) and Shohei Ohtani (3-1, 3.58 ERA).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Chris Archer was hit with the loss on Saturday against the Orioles, after he allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks over seven innings. He struck out four. It was Archer’s second seven inning start, yet his line left a lot to be desired thanks to the three long balls he allowed. The right-hander has now conceded nine home runs this season; he served up a homer in each of his first six starts, but kept the ball in the yard in his previous two outings heading into Saturday. He also allowed a steal of home (by Chance Sisco) and another run on a wild pitch. In spite of his 5.64 ERA across 52-2/3 innings, Archer has a solid 3.47 K/BB. He is 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA in five starts at Angel Stadium.

Tyler Skaggs gave up two earned runs on six hits over six innings against the Twins, striking out seven and walking two in a 5-4 loss. Despite the score, the southpaw put together a solid outing, and has pitched well all season (save for a rough outing against Boston on April 18, when he got tagged for six earned runs). His strikeout rate has been on an uptick lately, and he has punched out at least seven batters in three consecutive starts after managing that feat just once in his first five trips to the mound. He now has a 3.07 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP and a 3.54 K/BB over 44 innings this season. Contrary to the superlatives, Skaggs allowed five runs in his only appearance against Tampa Bay, and is 3-9 with a 4.81 ERA in 25 starts at Angel Stadium. This season he has relied primarily on his 92 mph four seam fastball resulting in a good number of swinging strikes, and a biting 75 mph curveball with sweeping glove-side movement, while also mixing in a 92 mph worm-killer sinker, and an 85 mph changeup with surprising cut action and sink.

Blake Snell took his third loss of the season on Sunday and is dealing with a sore right hip. The revelation came during manager Kevin Cash’s postgame press conference following a forgettable outing in which the left-hander allowed five earned runs on six hits over 3-1/3 innings against Baltimore. According to Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) Cash made sure to emphasize that it is a “minor, minor injury,” but also conceded the discomfort was the primary reason why he opted to pull Snell after just 73 pitches, allowing that he didn’t think the Snell “looked quite like himself.” Snell has faced the Angels just once, but walked away as the hard luck loser after he put together a 6 IP/4 H/2 ER/7 K performance.

Nick Tropeano was credited with a no-decision in his last start on Saturday against Minnesota after the right-hander yielded three runs over six innings. This season he has relied primarily on his 91 mph four-seam fastball with natural sinking action and slight armside run, and an 80 mph 12-6 slider, while also mixing in an 82 mph splitter that dives down out of the zone, an 89 mph sinker with obvious tail, and a whiffy 82 mph changeup. He is 0-1 with a 4.35 ERA in two career starts against the Rays, but has not faced them since 2016. Tropeano is also 3-4 with a 4.56 ERA in 14 career starts at Angel Stadium. Key Matchup: Brad Miller (3-9, 2 HR, 3 RBI)

Ryan Yarbrough allowed one run on five hits and three walks over five innings to earn his third win of the season on Monday against the Royals. He struck out four. Yarbrough put together a somewhat surprising outing, in that his strike to ball rate sat at 60% as he walked three batters. It will be interesting to see if the southpaw can bounce back against Mike Trout and the Angels, who he has never faced.

Andrew Heaney fanned 10 over eight solid innings of one-run ball against the Astros on Monday. He later described the outing as the best of his career. Heaney has pitched to a 1.80 ERA over his last four starts for the Angels, although he is 6-4 with a 4.16 ERA in 17 starts at home. This season the left-hander has relied primarily on his 92 mph swing and miss sinker and a hard 80 mph curveball, while also mixing in a firm 84 mph worm-killer changeup with armside fade and natural sink. He has never faced the Rays. Key Matchup: Brad Miller (2-2)

Anthony Banda efficiently cruised through the Royals lineup, setting a quick pace and inducing lots of contact — prior to the fifth inning he had struck out only one batter. But it appeared that the wheels might fall off for the southpaw in that frame. As Banda pounded the zone, the Royals began to hit squibbers that found holes.

A pair of leadoff singles and a sacrifice bunt later, Kansas City had runners on second and third with just one out. Banda came back and coaxed a soft grounder to short out of Ryan Goins that was scored as an RBI fielder’s choice. The next batter, Whit Merrifield, sent a liner to left that dropped just in front of Span, who struggled with the ball. Merrifield tried to stretch his single into a double, and Span gunned him down at second. The Rays got out of the inning with the lead, yet the Royals cut the deficit to one. Kansas City later tied the game against the tandem of Jose Alvarado and Sergio Romo.

That’s not to say Banda performed poorly, because he didn’t. The left-hander went five innings, and didn’t walk a batter. He struck out one and threw just 52 pitches (38 strikes, 73% strike ratio), although he allowed three runs on six hits.

Shohei Ohtani, thrust into a six-man rotation, will get the start in the series finale. Ohtani is coming off a quality start against Minnesota — his fourth of the season — in which he allowed just three hits and collected 11 strikeouts. It’s also thought that he may see some at-bats leading up to his start. The two-way star has relied on a blazing 98 mph four-seam fastball, a firm and whiffy 88 mph splitter with slight cut action and has some natural sink, and a sweeping 83 mph slider with two-plane movement, while also mixing in a whiffy 75 mph curveball with exceptional bite and glove side movement.

Noteworthiness

— Christian Arroyo, the highly touted prospect acquired in the December trade of Evan Longoria to the Giants, was called up Wednesday when the Rays put RF Carlos Gomez on the DL so they could add another right-handed bat. The team also plans to have him step in for 3B Matt Duffy, who is out of the lineup, likely until Friday, after leaving Tuesday’s game with hamstring tightness.

Arroyo has been off to a slow start with Triple-A Durham, hitting .200 with one homer (albeit a grand slam) in 17 games, having missed time with a calf strain.