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TNWN: Rays vs Dodgers — an Interleague series preview

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Brandon Lowe gave the Rays a short-lived 5-3 lead against the Yankees on Sunday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After a 3-3 road trip which left the Tampa Bay Rays in second place in the AL East, they will welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers into Tropicana Field for a brief, two-game series, starting Tuesday. The Rays are coming off a series loss against the New York Yankees, while the Dodgers won their three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

Tampa Bay dropped the rubber game of their set against New York and now face an extremely rough stretch over the next seven weeks in which they will play 47 games in 48 days. They will face Los Angeles, Minnesota, and Cleveland in the next couple of weeks before the next off-day.

All told, the Rays allowed 11 runs with two outs while the defense had more gaffes than Joe Biden, especially in the series finale. That’s the kind of stuff that cannot happen if they wish to remain toward the top of the AL East rankings.

The Dodgers won for the fifth time in six games when they rolled to an 8-3 victory in the rubber game against the Reds. They enter the series with a comfortable six-game lead over Arizona in the NL West. Los Angeles collected just six hits on the day but took advantage of nine walks along with a pair of wild pitches.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Over the last 14 days, the Rays and Dodgers have, essentially, been the same team in the batter’s box. However, Los Angeles has edged out Tampa Bay with a .433 SLG, a .191 ISO, a 106 wRC+, and a 3.5 wRAA. The Rays have also struck out more and walked less than LA.

Expect a low scoring series, as the Rays pitching staff has performed to a combined 2.95 ERA and 2.99 FIP (starters 2.40 ERA and 1.98 FIP, and relievers 3.38 ERA and 3.76 FIP) over the last 14 days, while the Dodgers have performed to an overall 1.60 ERA and 2.79 FIP (starters 1.55 ERA and 2.52 FIP, and relievers 1.75 ERA and 3.64 FIP) over the same stretch.

The pair split four games in 2016 with a -1 run differential between the two.

Pitching Probables

Over the next two days Kevin Cash will likely throw Jalen Beeks (3-0, 2.25 ERA) and Yonny Chirinos (5-1, 3.26 ERA), both of whom will follow an opener. Dave Roberts will respond with Clayton Kershaw (3-0, 3.40 ERA), and Rich Hill (1-1, 3.00 ERA).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Jalen Beeks picked up his third win of the season on Wednesday against the Marlins, allowing four hits across three scoreless innings. He struck out four. The left-hander continues to be impressive behind an opener, carrying a 2.25 ERA and 3.33 K/BB through 32 innings. Beeks should be fresh as he will be pitching on five days rest.

Clayton Kershaw gave up three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out five across seven innings. All three runs came by way of the long ball. Still, Kershaw navigated his way to a fourth quality start in five outings and earned his third win in his last four games. Kershaw’s velocity and strikeouts may be down, but he still carries a 3.40 ERA and 0.96 WHIP into his start against Tampa Bay. He relies primarily on a hard 87 mph slider and a whiffy 90 mph four-seam fastball which doesn’t boast much to any movement, while also mixing in a 74 mph 12-6 curveball with good downward bite. Kershaw is 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in one career start against the Rays. Key Matchups: Travis d’Arnaud (1-2, BB), Avisail Garcia (2-2, BB)

Yonny Chirinos allowed four hits and struck out two over 4-2/3 shutout innings Friday night. Chirinos did his part after Ryne Stanek tossed the first two frames, as he nearly blanked the Yankees for five innings. The right-hander has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his past six appearances, allowing him to carry a 3.26 ERA with a 4.125 K/BB across 47 frames.

Rich Hill tossed six shutout innings while fanning 10 with no walks and two hits on Friday. The veteran southpaw needed just 84 pitches to record 18 outs, which is a pretty incredible seeing that 10 of those outs were punchouts. Through four starts, he is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA, with a 1.05 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts across 21 innings. Hill relies primarily on a whiffy 91 mph four-seam fastball and a 75 mph curveball with exceptional bite and sweeping glove-side movement. He is 2-0 with a 4.82 ERA in 11 career outings (two starts) against the Rays. Key Matchups: Travis d’Arnaud (1-3), Guillermo Heredia (1-2)

TNWN: Rays look for a series sweep after a 4-0 win over Miami

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  • RHP Charlie Morton threw six efficient shutout innings against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After a 4-0 combined shutout against the Marlins on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays will for the sweep tonight. Tampa Bay enters the day a game ahead of New York in the AL East and is 13-5 on the road this season — an MLB best.

If we had to name two heroes from last night’s contest, Charlie Morton and Avisail Garcia would easily make the cut.

Charlie Morton pitched six shutout innings, scattering three hits while striking out five to earn the win in a 4-0 victory over the Marlins. The right-hander had one of his cleanest performances of the season Tuesday and got enough support to take the win. Morton has 61 punchouts over 50-1/3 innings (nine starts) this season and owns a 2.32 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. Morton is scheduled to face New York on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Garcia had three hits and three runs batted in on Tuesday night. His first hit, RBI, and run came on a massive 471 solo blast to center field in the second inning.

Garcia’s blast was the furthest ball hit by an opponent in Marlins Park.

Ever the conspiracy theorist, Kevin Kiermaier feels the ball traveled even further than that, and in all honesty, he has a point:

The outfielder drove in a second run in the sixth inning against reliever Nick Anderson with a base hit to left and capped the scoring with a bases-loaded infield hit against Tyler Kinley.

All told, the Rays went 2-for-7 wRISP (.286 BA) and scored a pair of two-out runs.

The New What Next

Ryne Stanek (0-1, 2.57 ERA) will open for the Rays tonight, with Jalen Beeks (2-0, 2.48 ERA) likely to be the bulk pitcher. They’ll be opposed by Jose Urena (1-5, 4.82 ERA).

Ryne Stanek will open for the 11th time this season. So far he’s allowed just one run 15.2/3 innings (10 opens, 3 ER, 1.72 ERA).

Jalen Beeks allowed one run on three hits over 3-1/3 innings against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. He fanned three and walked none. The southpaw followed Ryne Stanek and continues to pitch well when utilized as a bulk reliever. With the loss of Tyler Glasnow to the IL, there is the potential for Beeks to temporarily join the starting rotation. He has a 2.48 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 2.9 K/BB across 21 innings to begin the season.

Jose Urena allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out three over seven innings on Wednesday. Urena allowed eight baserunners, although he was able to escape trouble most of the night. After giving four combined home runs in his last two starts, Urena kept the ball in the yard and generated 75% groundballs. He has a 1-5 record with a 4.82 ERA and 6.2 K/9 over eight starts this season. Urena is 0-0 with a 0.84 in seven games (one start) against the Rays. He relies primarily on a worm-killer 96 mph four-seam fastball with obvious tail and an 86 mph 12-6 slider while also mixing in a whiffy 91 mph changeup with slight arm-side fade. Key Matchups: Travis d’Arnaud (2-5, RBI, BB), Daniel Robertson (1-3)

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

TNWN: Rays vs. Marlins — an Interleague series preview

Rays 5/15/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Meadows RF
  2. Pham LF
  3. Choi 1B
  4. Lowe 2B
  5. Diaz 3B
  6. Kiermaier CF
  7. Adames SS
  8. Bemboom C
  9. Stanek RHP

Noteworthiness

— The Rays have an MLB-best 2.88 ERA. Meanwhile, the Marlins have scored just 105 runs (2.62 per contest) so far this year.

— The Marlins are averaging just 2.62 runs per game.

— Matt Duffy (hamstring, back) continued his rehab assignment today, playing third base today for the Class-A Charlotte Stone Crabs.

— Jose De Leon (Tommy John surgery) will start tonight for the Triple-A Durham Bulls.

LBWMF: Rays look for series win after 12-1 lashing

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  • 1B/DH Ji-Man Choi went 1-for-5 at the plate last night, driving in a run in the Rays 12-1 thrashing of the Diamondbacks. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After an 12-1 lashing of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, the Tampa Bay Rays look to win another series tonight at the Trop. At 22-12 on the season, Tampa Bay can move 11 games over .500 with a win.

The Rays enter the day 5-2 in Interleague play; a season ago they went 7-13. Their 12 runs scored last night was a season high, thanks in part to Tommy Pham, who went 2-for-4 with a run, fur runs batted in, a walk, and a second inning grand slam — the first of his career — which blew the game wide open.

In 29 previous plate appearances with the bases loaded, Pham posted a .320 batting average with 21 runs batted in, yet all the damage was done without the benefit of a grand slam.

He’s a huge presence in our lineup. He can do damage with base hits, with the high average. He can do damage hitting balls in gaps. Knock them out of the ballpark. He works pitchers, he draws walks. He does everything.

— Kevin Cash

All told, the Rays went 5-for-11 wRISP (.455 BA) and scored nine two-out runs.

Meanwhile, Blake Snell bounced back from a pair of tough outings and cruised to his third win of the season. Snell gave up just one hit and no walks while striking out nine across six scoreless innings. The southpaw induced 19 swinging strikes (61 strikes overall, a 71% strike rate and a 31% SwStr%) on 86 total pitches. It was a phenomenal performance by Snell, who posted a 12.79 ERA in his first two starts since returning from the IL because of a fractured toe. He is now 3-3 on the season with a respectable 3.62 ERA and 5.56 K/BB over seven starts this season.

The New What Next

Ryne Stanek (0-1, 2.81 ERA) will open for the Rays, and will be followed by bulk inning guy Jalen Beeks (1-0, 2.45 ERA) . They will pitch opposite of
Taylor Clarke (0–0 0.00).

Ryne Stanek has not pitched since Wednesday, when he allowed three runs in Kansas City. Those, however, are the only runs that the right-hander has allowed in the opener roll this season in his first eight appearances.

Jalen Beeks fired off 6-2/3 scoreless frames on Wednesday, allowing a hit, two walks, and a hit batsman. He fanned six. Beeks turned in a highly impressive performance after the opener, Ryne Stanek, gave up three earned runs over his sole inning of work. Beeks has excelled in the “bulk guy” role in two consecutive appearances, also blanking the Royals across 4-2/3 innings on April 23, racking up seven strikeouts along the way. The southpaw has put up good numbers, sporting an outstanding 2.45 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and a 2.6 K/BB across 25-2/3 innings of work.

Taylor Clarke will make his first career big-league start Tuesday. This season, Clarke tossed three scoreless innings to in relief. He has a mediocre 4.40 career ERA in 38 starts for Triple-A Reno and an ugly 7.65 ERA over four starts for the Aces … although that figure is heavily skewed by a bad outing against El Paso. The right-hander doesn’t have a true put-away pitch and needs to keep batters off balance in order to be successful. Clarke relies primarily on a whiffy 94 mph four-seam fastball and a firm 87 mph changeup, while also mixing in a 78 mph 12-6 curveball with sharp downward bite, an 86 mph slider, and a whiffy 94 mph sinker.

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

TNWN: Rays vs Diamondbacks — an Interleague series preview

Rays 5/7/19 Starting Lineup

  1. B. Lowe RF
  2. Pham LF
  3. Choi DH
  4. Diaz 3B
  5. N. Lowe 1B
  6. Robertson 2B
  7. Kiermaier CF
  8. Adames SS
  9. Perez C
  10. Stanek Right-Handed Opener

Noteworthiness

— Austin Meadows (thumb sprain) worked out with the team yesterday with the plan of doing so again today. If all goes well, he could then go out on rehab for Tampa Bay.

— Hunter Wood (right shoulder soreness) continues to play catch, and is hopeful about rejoining the Rays when he’s eligible to come off the IL.

— Brandon Lowe enters play today in the midst of a 10-game hit streak.

TNWN: Rays vs Diamondbacks — an Interleague series preview

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  • If you’re keeping track, Sunday’s postponed game in Baltimore was the third on their 10-game road trip. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays returned home from a successful — albeit rain-soaked and attenuated — 10-game road trip where they will start a three-game Interleague series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rays are coming off a shortened two-game split against the Orioles, while the Diamondbacks fell short of a sweep against the Rockies.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

Tampa Bay and Arizona’s offenses are on different trajectories at the moment, with the Diamondbacks outpacing the Rays by 21 percent, as it relates to wRC+, over the last 14 days. Christian Walker and company are in the midst of a power surge, performing to a combined .223 ISO with 17 home runs over that stretch. Nine of those 17 homers were hit by Eduardo Escobar and Ketel Martel, who also have paired for a 447 wRC+ over, you guessed it, the last 14 days.

In spite of the offensive malaise Tampa Bay currently finds itself in, the Rays pitching staff has sustained the team. Blake Snell, who has lost his last two turns will need to return to form when he takes the mound in the series opener. One can’t help but wonder if Snell’s fractured toe may be hampering him more than he is willing to admit.

I saw stuff that I need to clean up that I’d like to keep to myself. Through this week I felt very confident, very comfortable with how I’ve been throwing the ball.

I felt really good against (the Royals in Wednesday’s loss, in which he allowed a career-high seven runs). Just happy with how I feel, happy with what I corrected.

And happy to attack Arizona next. I’m really looking forward to it. I feel good, so I’m excited to get back out there.

— Blake Snell
(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

The Rays went 2-1 the last time faced the Diamondbacks in 2016, in Phoenix. Tampa Bay is 4-2 in Interleague play this season.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will throw Blake Snell (2-3, 4.31 ERA), Jalen Beeks (1-0, 2.45 ERA) — who will pitch in the bulk inning role — and Charlie Morton (3-0, 2.52 ERA). Torey Lovullo will respond with Merrill Kelly (3-2, 3.60 ERA), Taylor Clarke (3-1, 6.12 ERA at AAA), and Robbie Ray (2-1, 3.79 ERA).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Blake Snell allowed seven runs on six hits over three innings in the second game of a doubleheader against the Royals on Wednesday. The southpaw struck out two and walked three. Snell faced the Royals for the second consecutive time and once again failed to complete four innings. He has given up 10 runs (nine earned) across 6-1/3 innings against the Royals, who tagged him with an unlucky 8.03 FIP and .429 BABIP. Bright side: he will bounce back. Overall, Snell has a 4.31 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 4.56 K/BB for the season.

Merrill Kelly allowed one run on five hits across 5-1/3 innings on Wednesday. He struck out two and walked two. Kelly blanked the Yankees through five innings but gave up a solo homer and a double in the sixth inning, leading to his exit. The former Rays farmhand has pitched well through six starts with a 3.60 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and a 2.07 K/BB across 35 innings. Kelly relies primarily on a 92 mph four-seam fastball with little arm side movement, while also mixing in an 80 mph curveball with sharp downward movement, a 91 mph sinker with little arm side movement, a firm 86 mph changeup with backspin, and an 89 mph cutter with strong cutting action.

Jalen Beeks fired off 6-2/3 scoreless frames on Wednesday, allowing a hit, two walks, and a hit batsman. He fanned six. Beeks turned in a highly impressive performance after the opener, Ryne Stanek, gave up three earned runs over his sole inning of work. Beeks has excelled in the “bulk guy” role in two consecutive appearances, also blanking the Royals across 4-2/3 innings on April 23, racking up seven strikeouts along the way. The southpaw has put up good numbers, sporting an outstanding 2.45 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and a 2.6 K/BB across 25-2/3 innings of work.

Taylor Clarke will make his first career big-league start Tuesday. This season, Clarke tossed three scoreless innings to in relief. He has a mediocre 4.40 career ERA in 38 starts for Triple-A Reno and an ugly 7.65 ERA over four starts for the Aces … although that figure is heavily skewed by a bad outing against El Paso. The right-hander doesn’t have a true put-away pitch and needs to keep batters off balance in order to be successful. Clarke relies primarily on a whiffy 94 mph four-seam fastball and a firm 87 mph changeup, while also mixing in a 78 mph 12-6 curveball with sharp downward bite, an 86 mph slider, and a whiffy 94 mph sinker.

Charlie Morton allowed one earned run on five hits and a walk while striking out nine over 6-2/3 innings on Thursday. Morton allowed four extra-base hits yet kept the Royals hitless with runners in scoring position. The right-hander generated an impressive 20 called strikes and 18 whiffs. Morton will carry a strong 2.52 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 48 strikeouts across 39-1/3 innings into the series finale on Wednesday.

Robbie Ray gave up five runs (one earned) on six hits over 5-2/3 innings on Friday, striking out seven and walking three. Five runs crossed the plate against the left-hander, but only one was earned thanks to three errors by his defense. Ray has made one career start against the Rays — a five-run, eight-hit, three-walk start lasting all of 4-1/3 innings. He relies primarily on a 93 mph four-seam fastball with natural movement and an 84 mph worm-killer slider, while also mixing in an 81 mph 12-6 curveball and a whiffy 93 mph sinker. Key Matchup: Tommy Pham (4-8, 2 BB)

LBWMF: Rays plate seven against the Rockies, winning 7-1

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  • Ryan Yarbrough prepares to throw to Nolan Arenado. (Photo Credit: Anthony Ateek/X-Rays Spex)

The Tampa Bay Rays offense came to life Monday night after averaging 2.75 runs per game against Houston, putting up seven runs against Chad Bettis and the Colorado Rockies. The Rays have now won four consecutive games after dropping the first game of the season.

Ryan Stanek opened ballgame and threw a scoreless frame for Tampa Bay, working around a soft single to Nolan Arenado while recording three punch-outs.

It would be safe to say that Stanek’s inning of work set the tone for the rest of the ballgame.

Ryan Yarbrough followed Stanek and allowed just one run across 4-1/3 innings of his 2019 debut. The southpaw gave up just three hits and a hit batsman while striking out three. The Rockies scratched across their lone run against Yarbrough in the sixth inning.

With one out in the frame, Yarbrough hit Charlie Blackmon with a pitch before David Dahl hit an opposite-field single left. Rays manager Kevin Cash called upon Wilmer Font to face Arenado, thus setting up a right on right matchup. The third baseman promptly doubled down the third base line, driving in a run. Font got Trevor Story to pop out in foul territory before Jalen Beeks was beckoned from the bullpen to face Ryan McMahon.

Beeks, who updated his delivery — allowing him to hide the ball well and offer more deception — collected an inning-ending strikeout, stranding a pair of runners in scoring position.

Beeks also worked around a walk in a scoreless seventh, while Jose Alvarado struck out two the eighth (18 pitches, 11 strikes, 61% strike rate), and Diego Castillo struck out the side in a 1-2-3 ninth (14 pitches, 10 strikes, 71% strike rate). The Rays bullpen has allowed just one run in the first 21 innings, while the pitching staff has allowed 10 runs total in the first five games. That is to say, the pitching staff looks incredibly deep.

On the offensive side of things, Tampa Bay got on the board in the fourth inning. Chad Bettis held the Rays hitless across the first three frames, yet that all changed when Ji-Man Choi sparked a three-run rally with a first-pitch single to left against the shift. Two pitches later, Brandon Lowe snapped an 0-14 skid by hitting a two-run blast to left.

Yandy Diaz followed by working a free pass, then went from first to third on Kevin Kiermaier’s ground rule double that bounced over the short wall in left. Daniel Robertson capped the scoring with an RBI groundout, putting the Rays up by three.

But, they weren’t done.

Tampa Bay took control of the game in the sixth inning when they knocked Bettis out of the game. Up by a pair, Lowe and Diaz each singled to center. Kiermaier stepped into the box with a chance to break the contest wide open, and he did not disappoint — drilling a three-run homer to right to put the Rays up by five.

Kiermaier, who drove in four of the seven runs, hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to center field an inning later, tacking on the final run.

The New What Next

The Rays and Rockies play game two on Tuesday night in a matchup of aces. Blake Snell (0-1, 7.50) will square off opposite fellow left-hander Kyle Freeland (1-0, 1.29 ERA). 

Blake Snell looks to bounce back from a rough outing on Opening Day. Snell took the mound in the first inning and mowed over the first three hitters in order, all on 13 pitches (10 strikes) — coaxing a pair of pop-ups and getting Alex Bregman to chase a filthy 80 mph off-speed to cap the frame.

After Snell worked around a Gurriel single for a scoreless second inning, he was roughed up as Houston took the lead in the third. Snell walked Robinson Chirinos on a close full-count pitch before number nine hitter, Jake Marisnick, worked six-pitch free pass of his own. On the very next pitch, George Springer blasted a curveball over the center field wall for a two-run lead.

In the fourth inning, Michael Brantley paid Snell back for a second inning swinging strikeout, depositing a first-pitch fastball to right field, while Jose Altuve homered to left in the fifth.

I was happy with a lot of things I did. The only thing I was upset with was sequencing. I didn’t mix pitches like I should’ve been doing. I did it later, but to learn that, it took me giving up home runs.— Blake Snell

Last season, Snell allowed three homers only once, on May 13 against the Orioles, and two times when he allowed as many as five runs.

Snell is known for his repertoire of four pitches, yet on Thursday he leaned heavily on his fastball (35) and curveball (34) — 76% of the total number of pitches he threw.

I fell in love with the curveball and kept throwing it. It’s a good team, and that’s what they’re going to do. Frustrating, but a lot to learn. A lot to learn, and I’m happy about that.— Blake Snell

To his credit, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner was able to finish six innings on 91 pitches (55 strikes, 60% strike rate), although he allowed six hits and two walks while striking out just three. Snell did not strike a batter out over the final four innings.

Kyle Freeland limited the Marlins to two hits and just one run in seven innings on Opening Day. He struck out five and generated 12 ground-ball outs. His incredible .056 BABIP is well below his career norm, i.e. it’s a matter of time before the luck dragons swing back in favor of the opposition. He relies primarily on his 93 mph worm-burner four-seam fastball and a whiffy 89 mph cutter with strong cutting action, while also mixing in a 93 mph sinker with natural sinking action and a hard 87 mph changeup with natural sink and cut. Key Matchups: Guillermo Heredia (2-4, HR, RBI, BB), Tommy Pham (2-3, HR, 2 RBI)

You can read about the series in our preview (linked below)..

The New What Next: Rays vs Rockies — an Interleague series preview

Rays 4/2/19 Starting Lineup

  1. Diaz 1B
  2. Pham LF
  3. Robertson 2B
  4. Garcia DH
  5. Zunino C
  6. Herdia RF
  7. Adames SS
  8. Kiermaier CF
  9. Arroyo 3B
  10. Snell LHP