New York Yankees Archives

Rays set to take on Orioles and Yankees on Tuesday; Archer returns from WBC

March 14, 2017 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Chris Archer looks on during a Pool C game of the 2017 World Baseball Classic against Columbia at Miami Marlins Stadium on Friday in Miami. (Photo Credit: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The Tampa Bay Rays will play their first split squad game of the spring today, with one squad heading to Sarasota to take on the Orioles and the other staying in Port Charlotte to host the Yankees.

First, a little house keeping

— Mallex Smith made an outstanding catch to rob Joe Mauer of a home run in the first inning of Tuesday’s contest against the Twins.

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Smith also pushed a bunt past the Twins third baseman for a leadoff single, drew an errant pickoff throw to first (that was mishandled) which allowed him to move up to second, advanced to third on a fly-ball to right and finally scored on a sacrifice-fly to center.

Rays manager Kevin Cash was complimentary of Smith for his work on bunting.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player work that hard at it. So he’s pretty special in that regard.

Following the game, Smith spoke about the flashy tools he showcased Tuesday.

(Audio Courtesy of Rays Radio)

— Nick Franklin continues to stake his claim for a place on the Opening Day roster. Franklin collected three hits yesterday — one to left, to center and to right — and raised his spring average to .571 (12-21). Finding a roster spot, however, might not be the easiest of tasks.

Because of his slow progress in rehabilitating from offseason heel surgery, Matt Duffy will likely start the season on the disabled list, meaning Tim Beckham — who also is having a strong spring — is expected to get the most of the reps at short. Compound that with the fact that the Rays will have to create a roster spot in order to add Rickie Weeks to the 25-man. It is plausible for Franklin to fill the super utility role, however, he will have to show off his defensive tools in the outfield and in the middle infield.

— Per Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), Jose De Leon remains very much a prospect in progress. De Leon, acquired from the Dodgers for 2B Logan Forsythe, said he felt he took “a step forward” Monday, allowing three runs on two hits (one a 3-run HR) and a walk over three innings. That’s relative, because his first outing was really bad and his second was just okay. He was 90-93 with his fastball but command remains elusive, evidenced when he followed a 15-pitch first inning with a 26-pitch second, and needed 54 overall to get the nine outs. Manager Kevin Cash said De Leon’s command was “a little bit better,” but it’s obvious he needs more work.

— Of bumps, bruises and strains. Brad Boxberger (lat/back) said his the bullpen session he threw Monday went well, and he is scheduled to throw another tomorrow. Still, no date has been set for his exhibition debut, although “he still feels he definitely will be ready for the April 2 opener,” writes Topkin. Shawn Tolleson said his back has been feeling good and he is eager to get on the mound today for his second spring outing.

The New What Next

Blake Snell will get the start against the Orioles in Sarasota, and will be followed by Hunter Wood, Chih-Wei Hu, Ryan Yarbrough and Jake Faria. Corey Dickerson and Steven Souza Jr. will make the trip to Sarasota, while Smith and Kevin Kiermaier will stay home. Jake Odorizzi will get the start against the Yankees in Port Charlotte, and will be followed by Shawn Tolleson, Jaime Schultz, Austin Pruitt and Diego Moreno.

Rays 3/14/17 Starting Lineup vs. Baltimore

Robertson SS
Franklin 2B
Dickerson LF
Souza RF
Gillapsie 1B
Casali C
Peterson DH
Leonard 3B
Lee CF
Snell LHP

Rays 3/14/17 Starting Lineup vs. New York

Smith CF
Kiermaier DH
Longoria 3B
Miller 2B
Weeks 1B
Beckham SS
Maile C
Bauers LF
Varona RF
Odorizzi RHP

Notheworthiness

— Chris Archer rejoined the Rays on Monday, and will pitch in a minor league game in Port Charlotte on Thursday to remain on schedule for Opening Day.

Per Topkin, there was some talk of Team USA officials having Archer pitch instead on Friday in San Diego, but he will stick to the original plan and stay with the Rays.

The right-hander is scheduled to pitch next on March 22 — the date of the WBC championship game — and could be available then if Team USA is playing.

Jake Odorizzi will not be added to the United States roster for the second round, due to a scheduling conflict.

The New What Next: Rays vs. Yankees — the FINAL series preview

September 20, 2016 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Corey Dickerson was one of Tampa Bay’s sluggers who helped the Rays bash home runs in 10 straight road games for the first time in franchise history. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays return to the Trop where they will open a three-game series against the New York Yankees on Tuesday — the start of their final home stand of the season. The Rays are fresh off a 5-6 road trip, while the Yankees limp in to St. Petersburg on the heels of a four-game sweep by their bitter rivals, the Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees were red-hot the last time they faced Tampa Bay, having won seven in a row and going for a four-game sweep of the Rays. However, they lost the series finale which began their current 1-7 downward spiral. New York has lost five straight and slipped to sixth place in the Wild-Card race. The Evil Empire also lost second baseman Starlin Castro (hamstring) and Jacoby Ellsbury (knee) over the weekend, with Ellsbury listed as day-to-day.

On the other side of the ledger, it was announced that Steven Souza Jr. will undergo left-hip surgery to alleviate an impingement on Wednesday, and he expects to be 100% for spring training. Depending on Nick Franklin’s status, as he sustained a hamstring injury in the series against Baltimore, either he or Jaff Decker will likely get Souza’s at-bats.

Going into this, the final meeting between the two teams this season, Tampa Bay holds a 7-9 record against the Yankees (4-2 at the Trop).

Kevin Cash will throw Drew Smyly (7-11, 4.98 ERA), Alex Cobb (1-0, 3.06 ERA), and Blake Snell (5-8, 3.87 ERA) over the span of the series. Joe Girardi will counter with Michael Pineda (6-11, 4.94 ERA), Masahiro Tanaka (13-4, 2.97 ERA), and Luis Cessa (4-2, 4.44 ERA).

Rays Series Starters

Smyly threw 5-2/3 innings of two run baseball on Tuesday, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out four. The two runs came on a two-run homer by Russell Martin, leading to his removal two outs into the sixth.

Cobb worked around a trifecta of walks to allow just one run on two hits while fanning four over 6-2/3 innings on Wednesday. Even though he wasn’t as sharp as his first two outings of the season, Cobb has yielded just four walks over 17-2/3 innings. That’s not to suggest that he was terrible in this turn, after all he did snag the win, thanks in part to the run support he received early on.

Snell was shelled early on in his start on Thursday, pitching 4-1/3 innings while allowing four runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out six. After being given a three-run lead in the top of the first inning, Snell allowed four runs in the bottom of the frame. In all fairness he did settle down and held Baltimore scoreless for the next 3-1/3 innings until he was pulled in the midst of a self inflicted, fifth-inning jam.

Yankees Series Starters

Pineda, winless since August 5th, tossed four shutout innings against the Dodgers on Wednesday before inclement weather ended his night. He allowed two hits and two walks, and struck out five. The righty matched Clayton Kershaw in the early innings, before the weather cut his start short, after 82 pitches. And while the weather cannot be blamed on him, Pineda still hasn’t finish the fifth inning in each of his last three starts, while hurling seven innings only twice all season (29 starts). He posted 4-1/3 innings of work against Tampa Bay on September 9th, allowing two runs on six hits (including two homers) while walking two and striking out seven. Key matchups: Corey Dickerson (6-10, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI), Logan Forsythe (5-12, 2B, BB), Kevin Kiermaier (4-15, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 4 BB), Luke Maile (1-3, 2 RBI), Brad Miller (5-15, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB)

Tanaka threw seven excellent innings on Thursday against Boston, surrendering just one run on four hits while walking three in a no-decision. He, however, did not notch a strikeout for the first time in his career. He put together a strong performance against the division-leading Red Sox while lowering his ERA to 2.97. He was even better against the Rays on September 10th, slashing 7.1 IP/5 H/1 ER/1 HR/10 K. Over his past eight starts (53-1/3 innings), Tanaka is 6-0 with a 1.86 ERA and 48 strikeouts. Key matchups: Corey Dickerson (3-11, 2B, RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (4-8, 3B, HR, RBI), Bobby Wilson (1-3, HR, RBI)

Cessa has been on the losing end of his last two starts, but New York reportedly feels like those have been decent outings. He’ll be facing a Rays ball club that tagged him with three homers on September 11th in New York, handing the righty his first big league loss. Key matchups: Corey Dickerson (2-6, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), Logan Forsythe (1-4, HR, RBI), Evan Longoria (2-6, 2B, 3 RBI), Brad Miller (2-7, HR, RBI)

Noteworthiness

— Evan Longoria is 10-22 with three homers and eight RBI while maintaining a five game hitting streak.

— Didi Gregorius is 7-15 during a four-game hitting streak.

— Gary Sanchez has homered in his last two games, giving him 16 home runs in 41 games this season.

Tampa Bay Rays 9/9/16 pregame notes, etc

September 9, 2016 By belowaverage Leave a Comment

Blake Snell is set to make his second career start at Yankee Stadium tonight. (Photo Credit: TBO.com)

The Tampa Bay Rays look to bounce back from last night’s 5-4 loss against the New York Yankees with Blake Snell on the mound tonight.

Tampa Bay hit four homers yesterday, two each by Kevin Kiermaier and Steven Souza Jr. The Outlaw is currently in the midst of a career-long 12-game hit streak, and has 11 homers — his highest total with the Rays. On the whole, the Rays have mashed 188 homers; they need to hit 12 more to set a new franchise record.

The New What Next

Blake Snell (5-7, 3.39 ERA) will get the start for Tampa Bay, opposite of Michael Pineda (6-11, 5.80 ERA).

Snell allowed just one earned run on two hits and two walks over six innings on Saturday. The southpaw put together one of the best starts of his career, in spite of the residual effects of a leg bruise incurred against Against Houston in his last start. Snell recorded 13 whiffs overall, and put in his longest outing since July 24 against the Athletics, while also snapping a two-start losing skid.

Pineda threw 87 pitches over four innings on Sunday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while fanning four. He came away with a no-decision. It was his shortest, and most inefficient, outing since being chased by the Rays after 3-2/3 innings on May 28. Pineda has managed to pitch six innings just three times in his last six turns, posting a shaky 5.01 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 32-1/3 innings over that span.

Rays 9/9/16 Starting Lineup

Forsythe 2B
Kiermaier CF
Longoria 3B
Miller DH
Morrison 1B
Souza RF
Dickerson LF
Ramirez SS
Wilson C
Snell LHP

Noteworthiness

— Matt Duffy underwent left-heel surgery today in Charlotte, NC. Dr. Bob Anderson (team orthopedist for the Carolina Panthers) performed the surgery. Duffy will return to the Bay Area on Saturday and miss the remainder of the season.

The New What Next: Rays vs. Yankees, Part Six ― A Series Preview

September 14, 2015 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Drew Smyly pitched exceedingly well in the series finale with the Red Sox Sunday afternoon. However, the Tampa Bay Rays fell 2-0 in the 13th inning.

Drew Smyly pitched exceedingly well against the Boston Red Sox Sunday afternoon. However, the Tampa Bay Rays fell 2-0 in 13 innings. (Photo Credit: USA Today Sports)

The Tampa Bay Rays continue their last chance 10-game home stand on Monday when they welcome the New York Yankees into Tropicana Field for a three-game series.

The two last faced one another about a week ago, when New York took two of three from Tampa Bay. Yet the Yankees only amassed a +5 run differential over the three games, meaning the Rays were more than capable of performing better than they had. Truth told, if it wasn’t for a pitching staff that was incapable of holding the lead in the final game of that set, we’d be talking about a series win for the Rays.

The Rays have won just two of their last six, while the Yankees damaged their AL East title hopes with a poor home stand. New York is 10-6 against the Tampa Bay.

Joe Girardi will start one of the worst pitchers in the AL, CC Sabathia, on Monday, and rookie sensation Luis Severino in the finale. A mystery hurler will throw in the middle game of the series. Kevin Cash will counter with Erasmo Ramirez, Jake Odorizzi, and Chris Archer.

Ramirez (10-5, 3.96 ERA) fanned nine Tigers on Tuesday. However, despite entering the sixth with a 5-1 lead, the righty couldn’t hold a four-run lead for the second consecutive start. Ramirez is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five career appearances (two starts) against the Yankees. Odorizzi (7-8, 3.21 ERA) collected a quality start Wednesday when he blanked the Tigers on six hits and a walk while striking out six to notch his seventh win of the season. He is 3-3 with a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts at Tropicana Field this season. Archer (12-11, 2.95 ERA) got a no-decision Friday despite striking out seven consecutive batters (at one point) and allowing three runs on five hits. He lost his last start to the Yankees after relinquishing four earned runs in 6-1/3 innings on September 6.

Rays and Yankees series starters over the last 14 days.

Rays and Yankees offensive production over the last 14 days.

Rays and Yankees by the numbers.

CC Sabathia (4-9, 5.16 ERA) has gone 0-1 with a 4.43 ERA in eight outings since the All-Star break. He pitched Wednesday for the first time since August 23, wearing a new, tighter brace that better holds the ligaments in place in his surgically repaired right knee. He gave up three runs over 4-2/3 innings in a 5-3 loss to Baltimore. The southpaw is 6-13 with a 4.47 ERA in 26 starts against Tampa Bay since joining the Yankees in 2009. New York is 3-10 in his starts at Tropicana Field. Key matchups: Joey Butler (1-3, HR), Asdrubal Cabrera (5-14, 2B, HR, RBI, BB), Logan Forsythe (6-12, 2 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI), Evan Longoria (24-61, 8 2B, 6 HR, 14 RBI, 13 BB), Grady Sizemore (3-10, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB), Steven Souza Jr. (1-2, BB).

Luis Severino (3-3, 3.35 ERA) held the Rays to one run over 6-1/3 innings on September 9, although he was hammered to the tune of six runs on six hits in just 2-1/3 innings against the Blue Jays on Friday. As I previously wrote of the righty, Severino relies primarily on his 96 mph four-seam fastball and 90 mph slider, also mixing in an 89 mph change-up. It will be interesting to see what the Rays can do against the highly touted hurler the second time facing him. Key matchups: Asdrubal Cabrera (1-2, BB), Logan Forsythe (1-3), James Loney (2-2, BB), Evan Longoria (1-2, HR, RBI), Daniel Nava (1-3, 2B), Grady Sizemore (1-4).

Noteworthiness

― This is the final meeting of the regular season so expect both teams to try and get big wins over their division rivals.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays Drop Seventh Straight, 3-2

July 4, 2015 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Fourth of July in the belly of the beast. (Photo Credit: Greg Taylor)

The Tampa Bay Rays losing streak hit a fevered pitch on Saturday, after the New York Yankees took the second game of the series in their final at-bat and winning by a score of 3-2. Tampa Bay has now lost a season high seven straight, and 11 of its past 13. The team starts the day three back of the Yankees in the AL East.

The Yankees took the lead in the first inning against Nathan Karns, taking advantage of the Rays righty before he settled in. Brett Gardner led off with a first pitch single up the middle and Chase Headley hit a grounder into right, moving Gardner into scoring position. Alex Rodriguez followed with an RBI bloop single into right, plating a run and moving Headly to third. Mark Teixeira sacrificed for the second run, capping the rally. Of the 37 runs Karns has allowed, 13 have come in the first inning.

Yet Karns was very tough on the Yankees from there, tossing six scoreless innings to finish his outing, and fanning a career high 10. The Rays righty scattered five hits and two walks; retiring the final seven batters he faced, and holding New York to 1-6 wRISP over the course of his seven inning start.

Unfortunately, the Rays couldn’t pounce on their limited opportunities against Michael Pineda, who also struck out 10 and walked just one.

The Rays went 0-6 wRISP against Pineda — 0-9 overall — and had their best scoring opportunity in the second. Asdrubal Cabrera led off the inning by lacing a double to left, then Kevin Kiermaier followed with by working a six pitch walk. But Jake Elmore popped up a bunt attempt, Curt Casali struck out, and Grady Sizemore bounced to third to end the inning and the threat.

Pineda, much like his opponent, settled in and retired 18 of 19. It was the Tampa Bay’s third consecutive game where they didn’t score with Karns was on the mound.

Curt Casali hit a 2-1 double to start the eighth and chase Pineda, yet Justin Wilson struck out Brandon Guyer and Joey Butler, and Dellin Betances coaxed a grounder to third out of Evan Longoria to end the inning.

Meanwhile Kavin Cash called upon Brandon Gomes to work the eighth, and he responded by posting a perfect frame — setting the table for an improbable ninth.

James Loney got the inning started with an opposite field single, and then Steven Souza Jr, who was 0-26 with 16 strikeouts entering the game, crushed a 2-2 homer to left on a hanging breaking pitch. It was the first homer Betances allowed in 2015, and the team leading 15th home run for Souza. Betances retired the next three batters to keep the game tied, giving the appearance the contest would go into extras for the second straight day.

However, the game never made it into extra innings.

Mark Teixeira doubled past the shift into the right field corner against Brad Boxberger to start the Yankees half of the ninth. Joe Girardi called upon Jose Pirela to pinch run for Teixeira, and pinch-hitter Chris Young walked after falling behind 0-2 to Boxberger. With a pair on, Ramon Flores pushed a bunt up the third-base side of the infield. Evan Longoria called for it, yet Boxberger, who already picked the ball up, looked to second, then made an off-balance throw to first. Jake Elmore, who was covering first, tried to scoop it, but the ball glanced off his glove. Elmore corralled it before the ball could bound away and threw home, but it was too late — Jose Pirela slid across the plate, scoring the winning run.

It’s frustrating that the outcome of the game is based on one throw that should be pretty simple, Boxberger said of his part of the botched play. Just in that situation, I didn’t set my feet, just rushed it a little bit. And that’s what happens.

Elmore also chimed in,

I set up on the bag, saw it in the dirt and tried to read the pick. It was like a snow cone, and then when you try to pick through it with force, sometimes it catapults the ball a little bit. … I know he’s going, so as soon as it pops up I know I’ve got to catch and throw, so I spun and threw and (catcher Curt Casali) caught it, but (Pirela) slid in behind him.

The Rays skipper succinctly summed up yesterday’s game, and the frustrating stretch the team has been on,

Well, if there was any question that we were in a bad funk coming into the game, we solidified that with today’s game.

The New What Next

The Rays won’t take on the Yankees again until early September. With that in mind, Sunday’s series finale provides the last opportunity for the Rays to force a two-game swing in a close American League East race. Erasmo Ramirez (6-3, 4.01 ERA) will take the mound for Tampa Bay, opposite of Ivan Nova (1-1, 1.50 ERA since returning from Tommy John surgery). The Yankees are going for the sweep, while the Rays look to snap a seven-game skid. Initially scheduled to take the hill for New York in the finale, the Yankees decided to push CC Sabathia’s start back to Wednesday. You can read more about Ramirez in our Rays/Yankees series preview.