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TNWN: Rays look to keep it rolling in Cleveland tonight

May 24, 2019 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Kevin Kiermaier hit one of four homers last night — a three-run inside the park home run to the left-center gap. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After a 7-2 win over Cleveland on Thursday, the Tampa Bay Rays have a chance to win their third consecutive game tonight. The Rays have not won or lost any more than two consecutive games in the month of May with seven games left to play. They could also move to 12 games over .500 for the first time this season.

Tampa Bay has scored 15 runs in the past two games. Of note, Tommy Pham, Avisail Garcia, and Kevin Kiermaier homered in each of those contests and accounted for five of the seven runs last night.

Three homers went over the fence.
One homer didn’t go over 300 feet.#RaysUp pic.twitter.com/VQJ3viOImD
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 24, 2019

Per Neil Solondz (Rays Radio), it’s the first time three Rays players have done that in back-to-back contests.

Willy Adames appears to be heating up. The shortstop has hit three homers in a 20-at-bat span and has batted .316 in the month of May with a .934 OPS.

The New What Next

The Rays will start Blake Snell (3-4, 3.31 ERA) tonight, pitching opposite of Shane Bieber (3-2, 3.22 ERA).

Blake Snell allowed one run on six hits and a walk across six innings in a no-decision against New York on Saturday. He struck out nine. Snell scattered six singles throughout his six-inning stint, pitching very well along the way. His only blemish: a third-inning run on two singles, a walk, and a wild pitch. Snell has a 3.31 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP this season

Shane Bieber was dominant in a complete game shutout against the Orioles, scattering five hits while fanning 15 on 107 pitches (75 strikes, 65% strike rate). The 23-year-old has allowed three-plus runs in four of his 10 starts, but he is still 3-2 with a 3.22 ERA. He has punched out 69 in 58-2/3 innings this season. Bieber relies primarily on a 94 mph four-seam fastball with added backspin and an 85 mph 12-6 slider, while also mixing in a whiffy 82 mph curveball with exceptional bite, and a firm 88 mph changeup with arm-side fade and natural sink. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (3-6, 2 2B), Brandon Lowe (1-4, BB), Tommy Pham (2-8, 2B, RBI, BB)

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

TNWN: Rays vs Cleveland — a series preview

Rays 5/24/19 Starting Lineup

Meadows DH
Pham LF
Choi 1B
Garcia RF
B. Lowe 2B
Adames SS
Kiermaier CF
d’Arnaud C
Velazquez 3B
Snell LHP

Noteworthiness

— Next stop: St. Petersburg! Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) reports that two-way prospect Brendan McKay has been promoted to Triple-A, and will start on Tuesday for the Durham Bulls.

The 23-year-old tossed six shutout innings on Wednesday — bringing his scoreless streak to 20 innings — while fanning nine to give him 62 strikeouts in 41-2/3 innings of work (13.41 K/9). He is 3-0 with a 1.30 ERA in eight games.

With Brent Honeywell still working his way back from Tommy John surgery, McKay becomes the top healthy pitching prospect in the organization. And though he is still working on being a two-way player, he has hit just .167 with two extra-base hits and a .448 OPS thus far.

— With a win tonight, Kevin Cash will have a .500 record with Tampa Bay as a big league manager over four-plus seasons.

TNWN: Rays vs Cleveland — a series preview

May 23, 2019 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Avisail Garcia helped break open the floodgates in the series finale against the Dodgers. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After a brief two-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Tampa Bay Rays set their sights on the mid-west when they head to Cleveland for a four-game set, starting Thursday. Tampa Bay split its series against Los Angeles while Cleveland is coming off a three-game sweep by the Athletics.

Tampa Bay bounced back from a pair of ugly losses with an 8-1 win against the best team in the National League. Prior to the series finale, the Rays allowed 14 walks and 20 runs across 18 innings, but they cleaned things up and walked a total of batters on Wednesday. Rays pitchers didn’t tap dance around the zone, rather they attacked an aggressive hitting team and coaxed 10 grounders and 10 fly balls.

Even though Cleveland has gone 8-6 over a two-week stretch,
they have been especially tough to strikeout, striking out just 19.4% of the time. Compare that to Tampa Bay which has struck out twice as many times over the same stretch. Still, Cleveland hasn’t been able to consistently string together hits and drive in runs, which became glaringly obvious in the three-game series loss to the Athletics. Be that as it may, they still have outperformed Tampa Bay in almost every offensive category over that stretch. Rays hitters will have to do what they did in the latter portion of the game against Clayton Kershaw, as well as the contest against Rich Hill, and pounce on any mistakes that may come their way.

Meanwhile, if Rays hurlers can perform as they had in four of the last six days, they could make it very difficult on a Cleveland team that is reeling from a string of unsteady play.

The Rays went 4-2 against Cleveland last season, including 2-1 at Progressive Field.

Pitching Probables

Over the next four days Kevin Cash will lean on an opener/bulk guy combo to be announced before the series opener, Blake Snell (3-4, 3.31 ERA), Charlie Morton (4-0, 2.65 ERA), and probably Jalen Beeks (3-0, 3.19 ERA) who will follow an opener in the series finale. Terry Francona will counter with Adam Plutko (1-0, 1.50 ERA), Shane Bieber (3-2, 3.22 ERA), Carlos Carrasco (4-4, 4.30 ERA), and Trevor Bauer (4-3, 3.95 ERA).

TBA

Adam Plutko allowed one run on one hit across six innings. He struck out four and walked two. The right-hander missed the beginning of the season with a right forearm strain but showed no rust Saturday as the only hit he allowed was a solo home run to Trey Mancini. Plutko finished at 83 pitches, although it makes sense the team took it slow in his first big league start of the season. He relies primarily on a 91 mph four-seam fastball and a whiffy 86 mph 12-6 slider, while also mixing in an 83 mph changeup and a 76 mph curveball.

Chalie Morton gave up five uncharacteristic runs (three earned) on four hits and four walks while striking out six over four innings of work on Sunday. Morton was ineffective and inefficient, throwing 88 pitches (56 strikes, 64% strike rate) in his turn. Walks continue to be a problem: Over the last month, he has an impressive 10.5 K/9, yet a 3.7 BB/9 (2.84 K/BB).

Carlos Carrasco allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four across five innings on Monday. Carrasco worked in and out of trouble constantly, allowing nine base runners. Beware the long ball: Home runs continue to plague the right-hander, as he carries a 1.7 HR/9 this season and gave up two solo shots in his last start. He has a 4-4 record with a 4.30 ERA in 10 starts this season. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (2-3), Erik Kratz (2-4), Brandon Lowe (2-6, 3B, HR, RBI), Tommy Pham (3-6, HR, RBI, BB), Andrew Velasquez (1-3)

Jalen Beeks put together an uncharacteristically bad outing on Tuesday, although he was BABIP’d to a large extent. In the fifth inning, after retiring seven batters in a row, Beeks allowed a one-out walk to Max Muncy, a stolen base, and a fly out to right — putting a runner at third with two outs. After Cody Bellinger walked, and Kike Hernandez rolled an RBI single to right, Corey Seager singled to right-center, making it 5-0 and chasing the left-hander. Even so, Beeks has a 3.13 ERA, 2.64 FIP, and a 9.08 K/9 on the season.

Trevor Bauer allowed four runs on four hits across six innings on Tuesday. He struck out five and walked four. Bauer struggled with his command for the second consecutive outing as he needed a season-high 123 pitches (73 strikes, 59% strike rate) to work through six frames. The right-hander has given up 11 earned runs — including three homers — and has a 1/1 K/BB in his last two outings. Bauer relies primarily on a whiffy 95 mph four-seam fastball, while also mixing in an 80 mph curveball with exceptional bite, a firm 87 mph changeup with arm-side fade, a whiffy 85 mph cutter with sink, and an 81 mph sweeping slider. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (1-2, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Avisail Garcia (9-28, 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB)

TNWN: Rays vs Dodgers — an Interleague series preview

May 21, 2019 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

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.

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.

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).

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 vs Diamondbacks — an Interleague series preview

May 6, 2019 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

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.

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

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).

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)

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

April 29, 2019 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Yandy Diaz went 2-for-4 on Sunday with a run scored and two runs batted in. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays went into Boston with revenge on their mind after the Red Sox swept the Rays a week ago, and left having swept the World Series champions. Now, the Rays head to Kansas City where they look to avenge the 10-2 shellacking they were handed last Wednesday when they start a four-game series against the Royals on Monday. The Royals are coming off a series loss to the Angels.

The Rays were able to do a couple of things well in Boston which stands in contrast to the previous series: hit the ball with runners in scoring position, and pitch the ball. A week ago Tampa Bay hit just .235 wRISP, while the bullpen coughed up five runs with two outs. Compare that with their most recent series, when they didn’t allow a single two-out run — even though the ‘pen bent on Saturday but didn’t break — and hit .308 wRISP.

While the Royals sit at the bottom of their respective division, they have, essentially, matched the Rays offense over the last 14 days. They also are a better run-scoring team than Boston; a -36 differential vs. a -21 differential (respectively) speaks to that.

Moving forward, Tampa Bay saw what Kansas City is capable of on Wednesday — they will again face Jake Junis (who held them to just one run) on Tuesday — and they should not take the Royals for granted. After all, the Rays bullpen allowed five two-out runs in the series finale last week.

The Rays are 2-1 against the Royals this season and swept the Royals at Kauffman Stadium in 2018.

Pitching Probables

Kevin Cash will lean on Yonny Chirinos (3-0, 3.55 ERA) — who will follow opener Ryne Stanek (0-0, 1.32 ERA) on Monday — Blake Snell (2-2, 2.54 ERA), bulk innings guy Jalen Beeks (1-0, 3.32 ERA), and Charlie Morton (3-0, 2.76 ERA). Ned Yost will respond with Brad Keller (2-2, 3.41 ERA), Jake Junis (2-2, 5.57 ERA), Danny Duffy (0-1, 5.40 ERA), and Jorge Lopez (0-2, 5.08 ERA).

Ryne Stanek held Boston hitless but walked one batter over two innings as an opener on Friday. The right-hander was efficient, recording six outs on just 14 pitches. Stanek has a sparkling 1.32 ERA and 0.79 WHIP as an opener, totaling 11-1/3 innings.

Yonny Chirinos gave up three runs on six hits and a walk over six innings of work while striking out three. Three of the six hits the right-hander allowed left the yard, but the right-hander did a good job keeping runners off base before the blasts. Chirinos now has a pair of quality starts under his belt even though he is technically considered a bulk guy. Whatever his role, Chirinos has performed to a 3.55 ERA and a 4.4 K/BB over 25-1/3 innings this season.

Brad Keller coughed up five runs on seven hits and three walks over 6-1/3 innings against the Rays in his last start. He struck out three in the 6-3 loss. The right-hander nursed a 3-2 lead after six innings, but Mike Zunino clubbed a two-run home run to center field, chasing Keller from the game. He’ll take a 3.41 ERA and 1.45 K/BB across 37 innings into his next start, on Monday. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (1-3, 3B), Avisail Garcia (3-11, 2B, RBI, BB), Kevin Kiermaier (1-3), Brandon Lowe (1-3, 2B, RBI), Tommy Pham (2-3, 3B, BB)

Blake Snell allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks across 3-1/3 innings on Wednesday. In his first game back since fracturing his toe, Snell wasn’t particularly sharp and was lifted after 65 pitches. He, however, had yielded one run and struck out 33 in his last 19 innings prior to the injury. His 0.92 WHIP, .204 batting average against, and 39 strikeouts across 28-1/3 total innings stand as his most impressive marks. He figures to be available for 80-plus pitches this time around.

Jake Junis left his start Wednesday against Tampa Bay with a right-hand contusion which he suffered on a line drive up the middle. Junis was in the midst of a good start prior to the injury, allowing just one run on four hits over five innings, striking out six while walking two. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (2-3, 2B), Kevin Kiermaier (3-8, 2B, BB), Brandon Lowe (2-4, 2 RBI), Micahel Perez (1-4, BB)

Jalen Beeks was great against the Royals on Tuesday, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out seven over 4-2/3 innings. Beeks followed opener Ryne Stanek into the game and maintained a four-run cushion to secure his first win of the season. The right-hander worked within the strike zone, racking up 17 called strikes. It was a good showing from Beeks, who now has struck out 20 batters in 19 innings on the season.

Danny Duffy allowed three runs on five hits and three walks over five innings while striking out in his first start of the season after being activated from the Injured List prior to Friday’s start. The left-hander wasn’t particularly sharp throwing 51 of 86 pitches for strikes (59% strike rate). Duffy relies primarily on a 94 mph four-seam fastball with some added backspin and a firm 78 mph curveball slight glove-side movement, while also mixing in a whiffy 93 mph sinker with neither sink nor run, a hard 87 mph slider with little depth, and a hard 87 mph changeup with added backspin. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (1-3, RBI), Yandy Diaz (1-3), Avisail Garcia (12-36, 2 2B, RBI, 2 BB), Mike Zunino (2-8, 2B, BB)

Charlie Morton faced Boston for the second consecutive start and allowed just two hits and four walks across six innings of work, on 102 pitches (61 strikes, 60% strike rate). The right-hander didn’t have his best stuff, yet he still kept the Red Sox off the board. Morton worked out of a jam in the second inning — striking out Jackie Bradley Jr. and getting Christian Vazquez to ground out to short after allowing a pair of base runners with one out.

Boston again threatened in the third when Mookie Betts reached base on an infield single then advanced into scoring position on a throwing error by Willy Adames. Betts moved into third on a wild pitch, but the right-hander came up with a big strikeout against Xander Bogaerts to end the threat.

Morton got a little help from Zunino in the fourth when he picked Rafael Devers off first base to get the first out of the frame. Even though Michael Chavis drew a walk one pitch later, Tampa Bay turned a 6-4-3 double play to close out the inning. Morton coaxed a second double play an inning later, in the fifth.

Jorge Lopez allowed four runs on six hits and three walks across 3-2/3 innings while striking out two. The right-hander was staked to a 7-1 lead after three innings, but Lopez couldn’t find the plate and threw only 37 of 77 pitches for strikes (48% strike rate) before Yost turned to the ‘pen. He’ll take a 5.08 ERA and 2.58 K/BB across 32-2/3 innings into his start against the Rays. Lopez relies primarily on his 93 mph sinker with slight arm side run, a firm 81 mph curveball with 12/6 movement, and a 94 mph four-seam fastball with some natural sinking action, while also mixing in an 89 mph 12/6 slider, and a firm 87 mph changeup with natural sink and fade. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (1-2, RBI), Ji-Man Choi (1-1, BB), Kevin Kiermaier (2-2, 2B)

Noteworthiness

— The Rays announced a pair of roster moves ahead of their series against the Royals.

We have a new friend in Lowe places. #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/nWBR5ylpMQ
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) April 29, 2019

The team will promote 1B Nate Lowe, their minor-league player of the year in 2018, and option INF Christian Arroyo back to Triple-A Durham. The prodigious hitting Lowe is batted .300 with three home runs and 14 runs batted at Durham, with a .987 OPS. Meanwhile, Arroyo had not fared well since being promoted to the big leagues, going 0-6 with five strikeouts and one walk.