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TNWN: Rays vs Red Sox — one last series preview

September 20, 2019 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

The Tampa Bay Rays return home on Friday, where they went 9-1 on their most recent homestand. (Photo Credit: X-Rays Spex)

The Tampa Bay Rays will continue the push toward a postseason run on Friday when they open a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox. After taking two-of-three from the Los Angeles Angels, the Rays split an Interleague meeting with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They’ll try to avoid a setback against the slumping Red Sox, who are coming off a series loss to the San Francisco Giants.

With Oakland leading the pack in the AL Wildcard race, the second spot could come down to Tampa Bay and Cleveland, who enter play neck-and-neck for the final playoff spot. The Rays next six games will be against the Red Sox and Yankees, putting them in a situation where they’ll have to play their best ball of the season to ensure they’re still playing in October.

Tampa Bay recently dropped a couple of road games to the Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels which could come back to haunt them. Yet, there is hope as Cleveland is set to start a pair of tough Interleague series against the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals. Whatever the case, the Rays still control their own destiny. They need to win as many games as possible, starting Friday.

The Rays enter the series with a “magic number” to clinch a Wildcard spot (by eliminating Cleveland) of 10 — the needed combination of Tampa Bay wins and Cleveland losses. As Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) wrote, don’t expect a playoff berth in this homestand. Even in a best-case, or worst case, scenario, it would take six more days, so until Wednesday, for that race to be decided. And that would be with one team winning all its games and the other losing all its game. Barring that extreme, and with the Indians off Monday and the Rays off Thursday, the more realistic scenario is this being settled — bottles popped or dreams shattered — in Toronto.

After their impressive 8-7 11-inning win over Los Angeles, Tampa Bay has a 54.5% chance to make the playoffs per FanGraphs (65.2% chance per Baseball Prospectus).

That’s marginally better than Cleveland, who averages out at 50.5% per FanGraphs (39.9% per Baseball Prospectus).

The Rays are 6-4 in their last 10 games, and 9-6 in the season series against Boston. The Red Sox, who have been stunningly bad of late, are just 3-7 in their last 10 games, although they have won five of six games against Tampa Bay at the Trop.

Pitching Probables

Over the next four days, Kevin Cash will throw Charlie Morton (15-6, 3.16 ERA), Tyler Glasnow (6-1, 2.03 ERA), Ryan Yarbrough (11-4, 3.78 ERA), and Blake Snell (6-7, 4.19 ERA). Alex Cora is expected to counter with Rick Porcello (13-12, 5.77 ERA), a pitcher to be named before Saturday’s ballgame, Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 6.19 ERA), and Jhoulys Chacín (0-0, 0.00 ERA).

Charlie Morton limited the Angels to three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four across six innings on Friday. Aside from a third-inning, two-run home run to Kole Calhoun, Morton turned in yet another quality start en route to his second consecutive 15-win season. This time around, the right-hander has 18 more strikeouts with a similar ERA compared to his previous campaign. Morton will take a 3.16 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and a 4.21 K/BB. This season Morton is 2-0 with a 4.18 ERA in four starts against the Red Sox.

Rick Porcello allowed two runs on five hits with one walk across five innings against the Phillies on Sunday. He struck out and six. Porcello gave up yet another homer, but he broke his two-game streak of yielding at least six runs. Porcello has had a disappointing season, posting a 1.7 HR/9, which is tied for the highest in his career, and a 2.5 BB/9, his highest mark since his rookie season. He also maintains a 5.77 ERA, a 1.44 WHIP, and 129 strikeouts across 162-1/3 innings this year. Porcello is 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA in three 2019 starts against the Rays. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (3-11, HR, RBI), Jesus Aguilar (2-3, RBI), Ji-Man Choi (6-15, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Travis d’Arnaud (3-6, HR, 3 RBI), Matt Duffy (9-24, RBI), Avisail Garcia (12-30, 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, BB), Kevin Kiermaier (14-55, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 5 RBI, BB), Michael Perez (1-3, BB), Daniel Robertson (2-7), Joey Wendle (5-12, 2B, BB)

Tyler Glasnow didn’t factor into the decision on Saturday, giving up two hits and a walk across three scoreless frames. He struck out five. Glasnow got stretched out to 51 pitches (29 strikes, 57% strike rate) in his second outing since returning from the IL, and looked much sharper in this one than he did last weekend against Toronto. Glasnow has a 3.33 K/BB across five innings in September, and the team will continue gradually ramp-up his workload as it tries to lock down a postseason spot. This season he is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts against the Red Sox.

TBA

Ryan Yarbrough allowed six runs on 10 hits and two walks across five innings on Sunday, striking out just three batters. After allowing three runs in the first two innings, Yarbrough settled down before Albert Pujols crushed him with a three-run shot in the fifth. It was the southpaw’s first loss since June 13, which was also the last time he faced the Angels. He carries a 3.78 ERA into his start on Sunday. Yarbrough is 2-0 with a 4.80 ERA in three outings (one start) against Boston this season.

Nathan Eovaldi allowed five earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out six across four innings against the Giants on Tuesday. Eovaldi surrendered two solo homers and was sunk by a general lack of command. Most notably, the former Ray walked two of the first three batters he faced to begin the third inning, resulting in a three-run frame. He had pitched fairly well entering Tuesday’s ballgame, allowing only seven earned runs across his prior 16-1/3 innings of work, yet Eovaldi still owns an ugly 5.81 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP across 52-2/3 innings on the season. The Rays have faced Eovaldi twice in a relief role (1-2/3 innings), tagging the right-hander for three runs on six hits and a walk. Key Matchups: Micahel Brosseau (1-1), Ji-Man Choi (2-3, RBI), Travis d’Arnaud (3-9, 2 2B, RBI, 2 BB), Guillermo Heredia (1-1), Kevin Kiermaier (2-8, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 BB), Austin Meadows (1-1, 2B, RBI, BB), Tommy Pham (1-3, BB), Eric Sogard (3-8), Joey Wendle (2-3, 2B)

Blake Snell was impressive on Tuesday, pitching two perfect innings while striking out four. Snell showed no rust from his nearly two-month absence after undergoing the knife, tossing 17 of 26 pitches for strikes (65% strike rate) and whiffing four of the six batters he faced. The outing was a great step for the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner as Snell looks to build stamina in anticipation of a playoff run. The left-hander maintains a 4.19 ERA and 1.22 WHIP across 21 starts this season. He’ll likely square off against the Red Sox on Monday, although he will likely be on a short leash.

Jhoulys Chacín allowed two hits and walked two while fanning three over 2-2/3 scoreless frames as an opener on Thursday against the Blue Jays. Chacin, who had not allowed a baserunner in his first two outings with the Red Sox, faced his first bit of adversity since yet avoided any damage. The veteran has thrown 5-2/3 scoreless innings for Boston. Over his career, Chacín is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in three outings (one Start). Key Matchups: Avisail Garcia (2-3, 2B), Guillermo Heredia (1-3, RBI), Mike Zunino (2-4, 2B, RBI)

Noteworthiness

— As Marc Topkin also noted, the right players are hot at the right time:

Playoff-chasing and postseason games can produce the occasional unheralded star. But for the most part, teams at this time of year need their best players to be their best players. And the Rays are getting a lot of that, starting with Austin Meadows, who is hitting .407 with eight homers and 19 RBIs on a career-best 16-game hitting streak. Tommy Pham, who had five hits Wednesday, is hitting .351 since Sept. 1. Ji-Man Choi has become an on-base machine. Travis d’Arnaud continues to deliver clutch hits and runs. Willy Adames is hitting .300 over the past two-plus weeks and playing strong defense at short. Closer Emilio Pagan is pitching with confidence.
— Marc Topkin

Rays look for a series split Wednesday night

September 18, 2019 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Ji-Man Choi got the Rays back into last night’s ballgame with a middle-inning’s blast to right. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After a biting 7-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Tampa Bay Rays will look to split the two-game series, and the eight-game road trip, Wednesday night. The Rays also look to hold onto the slim half-game lead in the Wildcard race.

Tampa Bay enters play two games behind Oakland for the top Wildcard spot, and a half-game ahead of Cleveland with 10 games left to play. Both the Athletics and Cleveland won last night.

Given the two straight losses, FanGraphs gives the Rays a diminished 57.8% shot at a postseason berth — down 24.3% since Saturday. Baseball Prospectus gives them a more favorable — albeit not that much — 59.5% chance of making the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

The New What Next

Brendan McKay (2-4, 5.27 ERA) will get the start for the Rays tonight, pitching opposite of Tony Gonsolin (3-2, 2.83 ERA).

Brendan McKay gave up three earned runs on six hits across 3-1/3 innings, striking out two and walking two. After dominating the Blue Jays in an abbreviated 3-2/3 inning start his last time out, McKay couldn’t carry it over to this contest. The southpaw has shown flashes of brilliance this season, although his overall numbers remain pretty “meh”, with a 5.27 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 42-2/3 innings. He is expected to hit tonight, assuming that the score of the game is favorable at that point.

Tony Gonsolin tossed three innings in his last outing and allowed one run on two hits while striking out four. Gonsolin was expected to follow Rich Hill after two innings, but the Dodgers were forced to bridge the gap with two additional relievers after Hill left after retiring only two batters. Gonsolin was unphased, allowing a solo home run to Pedro Severino but otherwise limited Baltimore to a single while whiffing four across three innings. The 25-year-old has been good in eight appearances, posting a 2.83 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and 3.1 K/BB across 35 innings. Superlatives aside, Gonsolin has only once pitched more than five innings, and that was back at the beginnings of August. Gonsolin relies primarily on a 93 mph four-seam fastball and a firm 86 mph splitter with a lot of backspin and arm-side run, while also mixing in an 88 mph 12-6 slider, and an 81 mph 12-6 curveball with sharp downward bite.

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

TNWN: Rays vs Dodgers — an Interleague series preview

Rays 9/18/19 Starting Lineup

Meadows RF
Pham LF
Lowe 3B
Choi 1B
d’Arnaud C
Wendle 2B
Garcia CF
Adames SS
McKay LHP

Noteworthiness

— Pham for the win once again:

Tuesday wasn’t just another loss for #Rays Pham. https://t.co/rwU05OHwPP pic.twitter.com/Brxm72mll2
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) September 18, 2019

— Blake Snell was impressive on Tuesday, pitching two perfect innings while striking out four. Snell showed no rust from his nearly two-month absence after undergoing the knife, tossing 17 of 26 pitches for strikes (65% strike rate) and whiffing four of the six batters he faced. The outing was a great step for the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner as Snell looks to build stamina in anticipation of a playoff run. The left-hander maintains a 4.19 ERA and 1.22 WHIP across 21 starts this season. He’ll likely square off against the Red Sox on Monday, although he will likely be on a short leash.

TNWN: Rays vs Astros — a series preview, part two

August 27, 2019 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Try as they might, but Austin Meadows and the Rays couldn’t adequately chip away at the Orioles lead in Baltimore, on Sunday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After leaving Baltimore with a series split in a four-game set against the Orioles, the Tampa Bay Rays make their way to Houston, where they will start an important three-game series against the Astros on Tuesday. The Astros are coming off a three-game sweep against the Angels.

Tampa Bay ended its highly-winnable 21-game stretch against sub .500 ballclubs with a respectable, albeit disappointing, 13-8 record.

However, all is not lost. The Rays playoff odds remain decent: FanGraphs gives them a 59.6% chance of reaching the postseason, while Baseball Prospectus gives them a more favorable 69.4% chance.

Unfortunately, Tampa Bay is done with the fluffy part of the schedule, and on to the final 30 games of the season — of which, the Rays will play 11 games against contenders or +.500 teams. Over the next week, they will face Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Zach Greinke, Mike Clevinger, and Shane Bieber — all of whom rank in the top ten of baseball this season.

The two upcoming series against Houston and Cleveland will be incredibly important as it relates to the Wildcard crunch, especially the weekend series against a team the Rays need to beat.

The Rays took three of four from the Astros in the Opening Series of the season, but are 9-8 at Minute Maid Park since 2014.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will lean on Charlie Morton (13-5, 2.85 ERA), Ryan Yarbrough (11-3, 3.29 ERA), and likely Trevor Richards (4-12, 4.30 ERA). A. J. Hinch will counter with Justin Verlander (15-5, 2.77 ERA), Gerrit Cole (15-5, 2.75 ERA), and Zack Greinke (14-4, 2.83 ERA).

Charlie Morton allowed three runs on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts across five innings against the Mariners on Wednesday. The right-hander probably pitched better than that line indicates, although three hits, a walk, and hit batsman in the fourth inning led to three runs. The Rays reclaimed the lead before Morton left, yet the bullpen coughed it up in the ninth inning, costing him the win. Morton remains 13-5 with a 2.85 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and 197 strikeouts across 161 innings this season.

Justin Verlander tossed a complete game against the Tigers on Wednesday, allowing just two hits while striking out 11. It was the definition of a hard-luck loss, as Verlander went the distance with two solo shots representing the only hits against him. He wound up taking his fifth loss of the season as his teammates only managed one run of support. It still doesn’t take away from the spectacular season the 36-year-old right-hander is putting together, as Verlander now sports a 2.77 ERA, an 0.81 WHIP, and a 7.03 K/BB across 178-2/3 innings this season. Verlander is 9-4 with a 3.30 ERA in 19 career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Matt Duffy (4-6), Avisail Garcia (8-32, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB), Austin Meadows (1-3, HR, RBI), Tommy Pham (1-3), Joey Wendle (3-6, 2 2B, RBI)

Ryan Yarbrough allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits with five strikeouts across 4-1/3 rain-shortened innings against the Orioles on Thursday. The southpaw gave up a pair of runs in the first inning, but that was it, as he shut the door over the next 3-1/3 frames. Yarbrough owns a 0.75 ERA with 28 strikeouts in his last 24 innings. Overall, he is 11-3 with a 3.29 ERA (down from 8.10 in April), an 0.87 WHIP, and 93 strikeouts across 109-1/3 innings this season. Yarbs is 0-1 with a 1.42 ERA in one career start (6-1/3 innings of work) against the Astros.

Gerrit Cole held the Tigers scoreless on Thursday while striking out 12 over seven innings. He allowed two hits and one walk. Despite being shelved more than two weeks with hamstring soreness, the right-hander hit 99 mph in the first inning and his velo stayed high all night. Cole’s sixth-inning strikeout of Jake Rogers — his 10th of the game — matched a franchise record of 14 games in one season with 10 punchouts or more. Cole now owns a ridiculous 2.75 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and a 5.95 K/BB on the season. He is 0-2 with a 2.84 ERA in three career starts against the Rays. Key Matchups: Jesus Aguilar (2-5, RBI, BB), Ji-Man Choi (1-3, 2 RBI, BB), Travis d’Arnaud (4-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Tommy Pham (8-15, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI), Joey Wendle (2-5, 2 RBI)

Trevor Richards tossed six shutout innings while allowing just two hits and one walk with five strikeouts on 83 pitches (55 strikes, 66% strike rate). All of the Orioles “damage” against Richards came in a 25-pitch first inning before the right-hander settled in. From the second inning on, he threw 58 total pitches and kept Baltimore’s hitters off-balance thanks to his mix of fastballs and changeups, with a few sliders and curveballs thrown in for good measure. Richards is off to a strong start with Tampa Bay. In two starts since being acquired from Miami, Richards has allowed two runs over 9-1/3 innings. Overall, he is 4-12 with a 4.30 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, with 114 strikeouts across 121-1/3 innings.

Zack Greinke allowed three runs (two earned) on 10 hits over 6-2/3 innings on Friday. He struck out only one. The right-hander was far from dominant, coaxing just six swinging strikes on 96 pitches (63 total strikes, 66% strike rate, 6% SwStr) on the night, yet he was able to avoid serious damage despite all the balls in play. Greinke has yet to lose in a Houston uniform, going 4-0 in four starts, and carries an overall 2.83 ERA and 5.35 K/BB through 171-2/3 innings. The right-hander is 4-6 with a 3.08 ERA in 13 career starts against the Rays. Key Matchups: Jesus Aguilar (2-8, 2B, HR, RBI, BB), Matt Duffy (3-12, 2B, RBI, BB), Charlie Morton (1-2), Eric Sogard (1-4, 2B, BB)

Noteworthiness

— Our condolences go out to the family of Vince Namoli, the former owner and CEO of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Namoli, without whom there wouldn’t be big league baseball in Tampa Bay, passed away at age 81 on Sunday night.

The St. Petersburg businessman had been part of unsuccessful bids to purchase and relocate the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants, yet he landed an American League expansion franchise in 1995 that began to play in 1998 — ending region’s two-decade-long pursuit to join Major League Baseball

Namoli sold the club to a group led by current Rays principal Stuart Sternberg in 2004 and relinquished control after the 2005 season.

— Tyler Glasnow is set to throw live batting practice on Tuesday, and could rejoin the team out of the bullpen in early September.

— Brendan McKay has been placed on the seven-day Minor League Injured List at Durham with shoulder fatigue, retroactive to August 23rd. It is expected to be a minimal stay, and McKay played catch at 90 feet on Monday; he is expected to miss one start.

Rays 8/23/19 pregame notes

August 23, 2019 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

For Player’s Weekend 2019, the Rays will be wearing Puffy approved all white jerseys. Player’s Weekend starts tonight.

After a rain lengthened 5-2 win over the Orioles last night, the Tampa Bay Rays will look to win their third consecutive ballgame Friday night. The Rays enter play in a virtual tie with Oakland for the top Wildcard spot, and 1/2 game ahead of Cleveland for the final postseason spot. The Athletics swept their series against the Yankees while Cleveland was swept by the Mets.

Per FanGraphs, the Rays start the day with a 65% chance of a postseason berth. Baseball Prospectus gives them a more favorable 77.7% chance of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

Avisail Garcia (oblique) played in a rehab game with Triple-A Durham yesterday, going 2-for-3. He’s expected to be activated tomorrow when eligible.

The New What Next

Trevor Richards (0-0, 5.40 ERA) will make his second appearance and start for the Rays, pitching opposite of Ty Blach (0-1, 12.06 ERA).

Trevor Richards allowed two runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out six over 3-1/3 innings on Sunday. The right-hander surrendered a two-run homer in the first inning, yet he was able to hold Detroit off the board for the remainder of his outing. He was lifted with 71 pitches (51 strikes, 72% strike rate), as the Rays continue to build him back up to a starting role. Richards now owns a 4.53 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP with a 2.10 K/BB across 115-1/3 big league innings this season.

Ty Blach allowed five runs on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts across 5-1/3 innings against the Red Sox on Sunday. Baltimore staked Blach to a six-run lead, but the Red Sox scored 13 of the final 14 runs in the game, five of which came against Blach. He has allowed at least five runs in three of his four outings this season, so that’s led to some ugly numbers. He is 0-1 with a 12.06 ERA and a 2.30 WHIP with 13 strikeouts and 10 walks across 15-2/3 innings this season. Blach relies upon a heavy 90 mph four-seam fastball with arm-side run and an 80 mph changeup with natural sink, while also mixing in a 76 mph curveball with sharp downward bite and an 83 mph worm-killer slider.

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

TNWN: Rays vs Orioles — a series preview, part six

Rays 8/23/19 Starting Lineup

Duffy 3B
Pham LF
Meadows DH
Aguilar 1B
Adames SS
Brosseau 2B
Kiermaier CF
Heredia RF
Zunino C

Noteworthiness

— As I wrote yesterday, neither Brandon Lowe nor Yandy Diaz will be returning this season from their respective injuries.

Rays Roster Moves: Brandon Lowe out for the remainder of the season

— The Rays have reinstated Anthony Banda from 60-day IL (his thrice-extended rehab was up) and optioned him to Triple-A Durham, where he was rehabbing. To make room on the 40-man roster for Banda, INF Brandon Lowe was placed on the 60-day Injured List. Lowe has been out since July 3, and likely done for the season, so the move doesn’t impact him.

TNWN: Rays vs Mariners — a series preview, part two

August 19, 2019 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Pure joy Choi. Rays 1B/DH hit a two-run walk-off single on Sunday to cap a series win against the Detroit Tigers. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After taking two out of three from the Detroit Tigers, including a pair of walk-off wins, the Tampa Bay Rays play welcome to the Mariners — a team they swept in Seattle a week ago — who will visit the Trop for the first and only time this season. The Mariners took two out of three from the Blue Jays this weekend past.

True, Tampa Bay hasn’t lit up the scoreboard of late, however, they have won seven of 10, while averaging 4.2 runs per game along the way. The luck dragons have nipped at the Rays heels, limiting the ballclub to a .268 BABIP over the last 14 days — 39 points under their season mark of .307. Their luck has changed before, and their luck should change again.

Tampa Bay’s pitching staff has performed well over that stretch, allowing 3.4 runs per game on average while limiting the opposition to four runs or fewer eight times over that stretch. Not bad for a pitching staff that has been hit hard by injuries.

In contrast, the Mariners have won just five of their last 10 games, although they have outscored the Rays over that span by two runs (44). Seattle’s bullpen, one of its biggest weak spots, has been awful the last 14 days, maintaining a combined 4.90 ERA and 5.10 FIP.

The Mariners are a beatable team, and the Rays have fared well against sub .500 teams this season, and especially of late going 9-4. Regardless of the offensive lag, Tampa Bay needs to win at least five of the next seven games before the team faces competitive opponents at the end of the month. That all starts now.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will throw Brendan McKay (2-2, 5.08 ERA), a pitcher to be named before Tuesday’s contest, and Charlie Morton (13-5, 2.77 ERA). Scott Servais is expected to counter with Marco Gonzales (12-10, 4.26 ERA), Tommy Milone (2-7, 4.69 ERA), and Wade LeBlanc (6-7, 5.40 ERA).

Brendan McKay gave up four runs on five hits and six walks while striking out seven across four innings against the Padres. McKay entered the game having issued just three walks over 29-2/3 innings but doubled that amount in his four frames against San Diego. He wasn’t efficient, throwing only 45 of 83 pitches for strikes (54% strike rate) although he made batters miss when he did get the ball over the plate, collecting seven strikeouts among the 12 total outs he recorded. The left-hander now sports an unsightly 5.08 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 4.44 K/BB over 33-2/3 innings.

Marco Gonzales allowed three runs on 11 hits and a walk while striking out six over six innings against the Tigers on Wednesday. The first three innings looked ugly, as Gonzales allowed eight hits and three runs. Yet the 27-year-old pitched to contact and worked his way out of trouble to turn in a quality start. Gonzales has pitched at least six innings in 16 starts this season, although he has a 4.26 ERA with 116 strikeouts. The left-hander was good against the Rays on August 9, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out nine in 6-1/3 innings of work. Key Matchups: Jesus Aguilar (3-8, HR, 3 RBI), Michael Brosseau (1-3, RBI), Matt Duffy (3-8, 2B, RBI, BB), Kevin Kiermaier (2-3), Austin Meadows (1-3), Tommy Pham (1-2, BB)

TBA

Tommy Milone allowed two runs on six hits, with no walks and three strikeouts across four innings against the Tigers on Thursday. Matt Wisler opened the game, while no Seattle pitcher threw more than an inning other than Milone. Milone enters play with a 4.69 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and 71 strikeouts across 78-2/3 innings (16 appearances), which includes five starts this season. The Rays beat up on Milone on August 10, tagging the southpaw for five runs on six hits (including three home runs) across four innings. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (1-2, 2B), Jesus Aguilar (1-2), Michael Brosseau (1-2), Kevin Kiermaier (3-4, HR, RBI), Mike Zunino (5-10, 3 HR, 6 RBI, BB)

Charlie Morton gave up an unearned run on three hits over seven innings while striking out 10 against the Tigers on Friday. Matt Duffy’s fourth-inning error led to the only blemish on Morton’s line and stuck him with his second loss in three August starts. Still, the right-hander has been outstanding since the beginning of July, fanning double-digit batters in five of his nine turns with a 3.38 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and an 8.22 K/BB over 56 innings. Morton allowed four runs on nine hits against the Mariners on August 10, while striking out nine over six innings.

Wade LeBlanc allowed seven runs on 11 hits and a walk while striking out three over seven innings against the Blue Jays on Friday. LeBlanc entered the contest in the second inning with a two-run lead, but he was rocked for three runs in the second, three in the third and another in the seventh en route to a 7-3 loss. He’s now been saddled with four consecutive losses and sits with an unimpressive 5.40 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with 76 strikeouts over 105 innings this season. Nevertheless, LeBlanc was very good against Tampa Bay on August 11, allowing one run on five hits (including a homer) over six innings of work. Key Matchups: Jesus Aguilar (2-3), Micahel Brosseau (1-3), Travis d’Arnaud (1-3), Tommy Pham (2-6, HR, RBI), Eric Sogard (3-5, HR, RBI)

Noteworthiness

— The Rays enter play a game behind Cleveland for the first AL Wildcard spot, and 1-1/2 games ahead of the Athletics for the second Wildcard spot.

Per FanGraphs, they improved their chances of a postseason berth to 74.3%. Baseball Prospectus views Tampa Bay similarly, giving the Rays a 78.2% chance of a playoff berth.

— Both Joey Wendle (wrist) and Brandon Lowe (shin) were back at the Trop after their rehabilitation assignments in Port Charlotte. The infielders are said to be feeling much better, and will fly to Durham Monday afternoon to join the Durham Bulls beginning Tuesday. If all goes as planned, they can rejoin the big league squad by the end of the week.