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TNWN: Rays vs Yankees — a series preview, part four

July 4, 2019 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Mike Brosseau hit his first big league home run in the series finale against the Baltimore Oriole on Thursday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The two top teams in the American League East will kick off one last series before the All-Star break on the Fourth of July at Tropicana Field. The Tampa Bay Rays will welcome the New York Yankees into town for a four-game set. Tampa Bay had a chance at a sweep against the Orioles after picking up a pair of 6-3 wins the previous two nights, yet Jose Alvarado had other ideas in mind, as he allowed six one-out runs in the ninth inning Thursday night. In spite of a three-run rally, the Rays fell, 9-6. Meanwhile, New York split a two-game Interleague series against the Mets.

In spite of the loss, the Rays looked good at the plate against the Orioles, scoring 18 total runs and hitting .361 with runners in scoring position (13-for-36 wRISP). As BA noted during Wednesday’s broadcast, the test will be whether Tampa Bay can slow things down against New York. Over the previous three series, the Rays have looked jumpy and over-amped, and they’re a far better team than the 2-7 season series record would indicate.

At the end of the day, the Rays have survived a brutal gauntlet over the last seven weeks and has hung in the playoff picture and division in spite of it all. They enter the series 6-1/2 games back in the AL East and looking to gain ground on the Yankees.

Pitching Probables

Over the next four days, Kevin Cash will throw Yonny Chirinos (7-4, 3.10 ERA), Brendan McKay (1-0, 0.00 ERA), Blake Snell (5-7, 4.87 ERA), and Charlie Morton (9-2, 2.36 ERA). Aaron Boone will counter with J.A. Happ (7-4, 5.23 ERA), Masahiro Tanaka (5-5, 3.74 ERA), the ever swarthy C.C. Sabathia (5-4, 4.04 ERA), and James Paxton (5-3, 4.09 ERA).

Yonny Chirinos allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and four walks over six innings while striking out five on Friday. It was far from a sharp outing by Chirinos even though he, technically, tossed a quality start. The error that led to the unearned run was his own, while Chirinos threw only 59 of 105 pitches for strikes (56% strike rate) en route to a season-high four walks — for context, he hadn’t walked more than two batters in any previous outing. The right-hander still maintains a 3.10 ERA and 3.62 K/BB across 93 innings on the season. Chirinos is 2-2 with a 2.84 ERA in five career outings (two starts) against the Yankees.

J.A. Happ threw four innings in his last starts and allowed eight runs on 11 hits with no walks with just two strikeouts. Happ is 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA, a 1.93 WHIP, four walks, and seven strikeouts over his last 14 innings of work in his last three starts. He also is 5-4 with a 4.30 ERA, a 1.356 WHIP, 30 walks and 75 strikeouts across 90 innings in 18 career appearances (17 starts) against Tampa Bay (1-2 with a 5.36 ERA, a 1.557 WHIP, 17 walks and 34 strikeouts over 43.2 innings at Tropicana Field). Happ is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in one start (5 IP) against the Rays this season. Key Matchups: Travis d’Arnaud (1-3), Avisail Garcia (4-12, 2 HR, 3 RBI), Guillermo Heredia (3-9, BB), Tommy Pham (2-3, 2B), Mike Zunino (3-11, RBI, BB)

Brendan McKay pitched six scoreless innings in his big league debut, allowing just one hit (tracked at 66.5 mph off the bat) and one walk with three punch outs. The left-hander took a perfect game into the sixth inning when he gave up two baserunners. McKay’s curveball was especially sharp, as he held Texas to 1-for-18 on his breaking pitch and generated 11 swings and misses.

Masahiro Tanaka allowed six runs on four hits and two walks across 2/3 of an inning on Saturday. He did not record a strikeout. The first game in London saw neither team’s starter make it out of the opening frame, with Tanaka delivering his worst start of the season by a significant margin. The 30-year-old now has a 3.74 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a 3.70 K/BB over 98-2/3 innings this season. Tanaka has been very tough against the Rays this season, going 2-0 with a 0.41 ERA in three starts (22 IP). Key Matchups: Willy Adames (3-12, 2B, RBI), Guillermo Heredia (1-4), Kevin Kiermaier (8-31, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, BB), Tommy Pham (4-15, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), Joey Wendle (3-8, 2B 2 RBI), Mike Zunino (5-19, 2 2B, HR, RBI)

Blake Snell struck out 12 and allowed two runs on three hits over six innings in a win over Texas on Sunday. Snell was desperate for a good outing after lasting just seven innings in his previous three starts combined. He got exactly what he needed Sunday. The 26-year-old lefty flattened the Rangers’ lineup with Joey Gallo’s two-run blast being the only significant damage he allowed. It was his first start with double-digit strikeouts since May 12 and he lowered his season ERA to 4.87 in the process.

C.C. Sabathia gave up two runs on six hits and two walks over six innings while striking out nine on Monday. The Grimmace like southpaw did give allow some hard contact although his control was decent, throwing 64 of 104 pitches for strikes (62% strike rate) en route to his fourth quality start of the season. Sabathia will take a 4.04 ERA and 2.54 K/BB through 69 innings into his start on Saturday. Sabathia is 1-0 with a 2.12 ERA in three starts (17 innings) against the Rays this season. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (4-14, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB), Travis d’Arnaud (3-12), Kevin Kiermaier (5-16, 2 HR, 2 RBI), Tommy Pham (3-10, 2 2B, RBI), Joey Wendle (1-2), Mike Zunino (5-11, HR, RBI, BB)

Charlie Morton was dominant in his outing against Baltimore, allowing one earned run on four hits and a walk while striking out 12 across seven innings. Morton’s sole blemish of the contest came on a third-inning solo homer by Chris Davis, otherwise, he held the Orioles without an extra-base hit and didn’t allow a baserunner into scoring position until his final inning of work. It was his second double-digit strikeout performance of the season, and he’s now racked up 132 strikeouts across 107 innings of work. Morton has also supplied All-Star ratios, managing a 2.36 ERA and 1.03 WHIP.

James Paxton allowed one earned run on eight hits and two walks while striking out three across six innings on Tuesday. Paxton surrendered just a solo home run to J.D. Davis in his outing — only his second quality start in seven chances since coming off the IL in late May. Paxton was unable to generate much deception with his pitches, recording just 12 swinging strikes on 103 total pitches (12% SwStr). The left-hander is 3-0 with a 3.32 ERA in three career starts against the Rays, and 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA in two starts at the Trop. Key Matchup: Avisail Garcia (3-5, RBI)

Noteworthiness

— An average of 20,970 fans showed up to the old ballpark the last three nights (62,911 overall), with large crowds also expected this weekend.

I know, what you’re thinking, “…but that’s only because the Rays sold out of the 30-thousand $2.00 tickets that were made available prior to the start of this series.” That is undoubtedly true. And it should not be forgotten that a good number of fans came through the turnstiles when the Rays had a $5.00 flash sale a few weeks back, which led into a successful day/night doubleheader with the Rowdies. To the naysayers, I posit this: 10-thousand fans per night, at $2.00 a pop, is far better than 30-thousand (overall) empty seats. The team made a moderate revenue on the ticket sales and even more money when you factor in concessions and team merchandise — cash they wouldn’t have generated otherwise.

To Stu Sternberg and the Rays front office, fans have shown that they will attend games when family-friendly and affordable ticket options are offered. Instead of bashing the market and the fan-base, saying things like an 81-game season is untenable in Tampa Bay (and yes, most of us know that’s a rhetorical leverage ploy), how about continuing to roll out ticket specials throughout the balance of the season? The Rays have hit the 20-thousand mark 12 times in 2019, and we aren’t at the halfway point yet. For context, 20-thousand fans (or more) attended just nine ballgames last season. We love the love Rays in Tampa Bay. You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.

— Brandon Lowe was a late addition to the 2019 All-Star Game roster, joining Austin Meadows and Charlie Morton for the Rays’ contention.

It’s the icing on the cake, I’d say. The dream is always to be a big leaguer, so I got here. And to keep performing and be able to go out there and take the field with some of the guys that will be out there will be very special.
— Brandon Lowe

Lowe said having a chance to talk to players like Mike Trout will be a highlight of the trip.

What he’s done throughout the game has been nothing short of incredible. I would love to pick his brain and see just what goes on in his head.
— Brandon Lowe

— Never forget:

TNWN: Rays vs Yankees ― yet another series preview

June 17, 2019 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Kevin Kiermaier and the Rays capped their seven-game home stand with a series split against the Angels. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After defeating the Los Angeles Angels 6-5 on Sunday, allowing Tampa Bay to earn a series split, the Rays hit the road for a 10-game, 11-day road trip. First stop the Bronx, where they’ll face the first-place Yankees. The Yankees are coming off a series split against the White Sox.

The Rays have the best road record in baseball at 23-10, yet this trip will be a challenging one. They’ll start in New York (2-4), fly across the country for a three-game set in Oakland (1-2), and cap things off in Minnesota (1-3) ― all while facing three teams that have won their respective sets against Tampa Bay this season. The first two series wrap up a 21-game, 20-day stretch of play without an off-day. So far, Tampa Bay is 8-6 over that spread.

New York is the only team to win a road series against Tampa Bay this season. In kind, this set provides a particularly tough matchup for a few reasons. As Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) noted, one is that the Rays have had a difficult time lately against lefties, and two of the three pitchers New York will throw are southpaws (C.C. Sabathia and J.A. Happ). The other starter is Masahiro Tanaka (4-5, 3.58 ERA) who has already faced and won against the Rays twice this season.

The Yankees haven’t been firing on all their cylinders of late, however, they are expected to activate Edwin Encarnacion on Monday and Giancarlo Stanton on Tuesday. Tampa Bay will likely add another right-hander to the relief corps to compensate for New York’s right-handed heavy lineup.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will lean on bulk guys Yonny Chirinos (7-2, 2.88 ERA) and Ryan Yarbrough (5-3, 5.59 ERA) in some capacity, and left-hander Blake Snell (4-5, 3.70 ERA). Aaron Boone will counter with Masahiro Tanaka (4-5, 3.58 ERA), J.A. Happ (6-3, 4.66 ERA), and the ever swarthy C.C. Sabathia (3-4, 4.42 ERA).

Yonny Chirinos allowed two runs on seven hits and a walk across six innings against the Athletics on Wednesday. He struck out seven. Oakland had traffic on the basepaths most of the night, yet they only scored against Chirinos on an infield single and solo home rum. The Rays didn’t give right-hander much run support, although they did score twice in the seventh inning to tie the game and get him off the hook. Chirinos enters play with a 7-2 record and a 2.88 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and 62 strikeouts across 75 innings this season. He is 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA across 19-1/3 career innings against the Yankees, and 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA across 4-2/3 innings at Yankee Stadium.

Masahiro Tanaka allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and no walks over 6-2/3 innings in the first game of a doubleheader against the Mets on Tuesday. He struck out seven. Tanaka ran into trouble in the third inning when he allowed a run on a Juan Lagares infield single and a three-run homer to Jeff McNeil. He steadied after that, relinquishing just one more run on a sixth-inning RBI single and pitched into the seventh inning. The right-hander has a 3.58 ERA and 1.18 WHIP this season and is 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA in two 2019 starts against the Rays. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (4-11, 2 2B, BB), Avisail Garcia (5-18, 2B, RBI, 2 BB), Guillermo Heredia (1-4), Kevin Kiermaier (8-28, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, BB), Tommy Pham (4-11, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), Joey Wendle (3-5, 2B, 2 RBI), Mike Zunino (5-16, 2 2B, HR, RBI)

Ryan Yarbrough allowed five runs on five hits and one walk across six innings against the Angels on Thursday. He struck out four. All five hits went for extra bases ― including a three-run homer from Shohei Ohtani, and a two-run shot from Albert Pujols. Aside from that, Yarbrough pitched quite well and needed an efficient 90 pitches (58 strikes, 64% strike rate) to complete six innings. Yarbrough’s form has been erratic lately; he’s allowed five or more earned runs three times in the last six starts while yielding two or fewer in the other three. He is 3-2 with a 3.71 ERA in 17 career innings against the Yankees.

J.A. Happ allowed four runs on four hits and four walks while striking out two through five innings in his last start. Happ looked solid until the fourth inning when he loaded the bases on a single and a pair of walks ― it was the first time all season that Happ pitched with the bases loaded. Despite throwing nine straight balls, the 36-year-old managed to wiggle out of the jam without any damage. The White Sox got to Happ again in the fifth inning when the left-hander gave up a leadoff walk to Yolmer Sanchez, then allowed a single to Ryan Cordell and an RBI double to Leury Garcia. Tim Anderson followed with a three-run, 416-foot homer to even the score at four apiece. The long ball has proven to be Happ’s nemesis this season, and Thursday was no exception. He carries a 4.68 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 3.21 K/BB on the season, and is 4-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 16 career starts against Tampa Bay. He relies primarily on a whiffy 92 mph four-seam fastball and an 89 mph worm-killer sinker which has some natural sinking action, while also mixing in an 84 mph slider with little depth, and an 86 mph changeup with some natural sinking action. Key Matchups: Avisail Garcia (3-9, 2 HR, 2 RBI), Guillermo Heredia (2-7, BB)

Blake Snell allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and four walks across 3-1/3 against the Angels on Friday. He struck out three. That start marked Snell’s shortest outing since May 1, although he was able to avoid a loss because the Rays offense scored nine runs against the Angels bullpen. Snell has been a little hot and cold of late, yielding just one run in three of his last seven starts, but more than three runs in under five frames in his other two. Overall, Snell is 4-5 with a 3.70 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 101 punch outs across 75-1/3 innings this season, and is 3-5 with a 3.97 ERA in 13 career starts against the Yankees (59.0 innings of work).

C.C. Sabathia coughed up six runs (five earned) on 10 hits and three walks while striking out three over 4-2/3 innings against the White Sox. Sabathia was tagged for four first-inning runs, including a three-run blast by Eloy Jimenez, and things went downhill from there. The left-hander had been taken deep at least once in nine straight starts, and as a result, he carries a 4.42 ERA and 2.38 K/BB through 57 into his next outing against Tampa Bay, on Wednesday. Over his career against the Rays, Sabathia is 17-16 with a 3.63 ERA and is 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two starts against the Rays this season ― although he averaged 5.5 IP in each of those starts. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (3-12, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Travis d’Arnaud (3-9, 2 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (5-16, 2 HR, 2 RBI), Brandon Lowe (1-4, BB), Austin Meadows (1-4, BB), Joey Wendle (1-2), Mike Zunino (5-11, HR, RBI, BB)

Noteworthiness

― Update on RHP Jose Alvarado, who will immediately report to Port Charlotte:

Update on #Rays reliever Jose Alvarado: He has returned to the United States after spending time in Venezuela with his family and will report to Port Charlotte in order to get some action before returning from the Restricted list.
— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) June 16, 2019

TNWN: Rays vs Yankees — a series preview

May 10, 2019 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Kevin Kiermaier went 1-for-2 with an RBI in the series finale against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The top two teams in the AL East are set to open up a three-game weekend series at Tropicana Field when the Tampa Bay Rays face the New York Yankees for the first time this season, starting Friday night. Tampa Bay took two-of-three from Arizona, although they missed an opportunity to sweep the Diamondbacks when they fell 3-2 in 13 innings on Wednesday. The Yankees took three-of-four from the Mariners.

The Rays were handed just their second defeat in the last six games, finishing their marathon 13-inning contest with eight hits and a whopping 23 strikeouts. Tommy Pham was the only player with two hits in the ballgame, while Tampa Bay went 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Still, the Rays averaged 6.67 runs per game over the life of the series, while the pitching staff allowed seven runs total over the previous three days.

Outfielder Austin Meadows (thumb sprain) is expected to be activated from the Injured List and back in the lineup on Friday. Prior to the injury, Meadows was hitting .351 with six home runs, 19 RBI and a fantastic 1.097 OPS. To create space on the 25-man roster, the Rays optioned rookie 1B/DH Nate Lowe, who hit .257 with one RBI across nine games, back to Triple-A Durham.

However, the team is still sorting out the catching situation, with the potential for Mike Zunino to be placed on the IL after he left Wednesday’s game due to quad tightness.

If Zunino is out for an extended amount of time, Tampa Bay will have to make another roster move, with Anthony Bemboom the most likely candidate for promotion — a move that would leave them with a very inexperienced duo of backstops; he and Nick Ciuffo. The 29-year-old Bemboom signed as a minor-league free agent this past offseason after he spent 2-1/2 seasons at Triple-A with the Rockies and Angels organizations. He has no big league experience.

New York won the season series last season, 10-9, but Tampa Bay won six of the 10 meetings at Tropicana Field.

Pitching Probables

Over the next three days Kevin Cash will lean on Tyler Glasnow (6-0, 1.47 ERA), Yonny Chirinos (4-1, 3.52 ERA) — pitching in the bulk inning role — and Blake Snell (3-3, 3.62 ERA). Aaron Boone will counter with Domingo German (6-1, 2.35 ERA), CC Sabathia (2-1, 3.20 ERA), and Masahiro Tanaka (2-3, 3.77 ERA).

Tyler Glasnow allowed just three hits while striking out eight batters across seven scoreless innings against the Orioles. The right-hander didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning en route to his sixth win of the season. Glasnow is undefeated with a pristine 1.47 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 6.57 K/BB across seven starts this season.

Domingo German allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out seven over 6-2/3 innings against the Twin. German worked around seven base runners thanks in part to 21 called strikes. The right-hander has been great this season, and his 2.72 FIP suggests that his 2.35 ERA could stick. German relies primarily on a 94 mph four-seam fastball with slight arm side run and a whiffy 82 mph 12-6 curveball, while also mixing in a firm 88 mph worm-killer changeup and a 94 mph sinker with obvious tail. He is 1-0 with a 7.36 ERA in three games (two starts) against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Kevin Kiermaier (1-3, 3B), Brandon Lowe (1-1)

Yonny Chirinos took a hard-luck loss against Baltimore on Saturday, allowing three runs on seven hits across 7-1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked one. Chirinos was used as a traditional starter and ended up delivering a quality start for the Rays. The right-hander has pitched well with a 3.52 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 4.14 K/BB over 38-1/3 innings, with most of his damage coming in one outing in which he allowed six runs over 2-1/3 innings (April 12).

CC Sabathia gave up three earned runs on five hits over five innings while striking out five and walking three against the Mariners. The swarthy southpaw wasn’t particularly efficient, needing 99 pitches to make it through five innings, yet he was able to pick up his second victory of the season thanks to a lot of early run support. Sabathia has posted solid ratios over his five 2019 starts, performing to a 3.20 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP across 25-1/3 innings. Sabathia relies primarily on an 89 mph cutter with strong cutting action and an 80 mph sweeping slider, while also mixing in an 89 mph sinker, and a whiffy 83 mph worm-killer changeup. Sabathia is 17-16 with a 3.67 ERA in 48 career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (2-8, RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (5-16, 2 HR, 2 RBI), Mike Zunino (5-11, HR, RBI, BB)

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.

Masahiro Tanaka gave up two earned runs on five hits over 6-1/3 innings on Tuesday against the Mariners. He struck out four and walked two. Tanaka struggled in his previous two starts, but he was sharp against Seattle. The right-hander carries a 3.64 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with a 2.86 K/BB across 45-1/3 innings. He relies primarily on an 84 mph slider with glove-side cut and two-plane movement, a whiffy 92 mph four-seam fastball, and a firm 88 mph splitter with arm side fade. Tanaka is 8-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 14 career starts against the Rays. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (2-7, 2B, RBI), Avisail Garcia (4-13, 2B, RBI), Guillermo Heredia (1-4), Kevin Kiermaier (7-23, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, BB), Brandon Lowe (2-4, 2B), Tommy Pham (3-5, 2B, HR, 2 BB), Daniel Robertson (1-4, 2B, BB), Mike Zunino (5-16, 2 2B, HR, RBI)

The New What Next: Athletics vs Yankees — a Wildcard game preview

October 3, 2018 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

The AL Wildcard game takes place Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. (Photo Credit: Oakland Athletics)

The New York Yankees will host the Oakland Athletics in the AL Wildcard game Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. Oakland will send right-hander Liam Hendriks to the mound as the opener, while New York will oppose with right-hander Luis Severino. Each team won three games in the 2018 season series.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

The Athletics were 34-36 (.486) at the conclusion of play on June 15, and 11 games out in the Wildcard race. Yet from that point on they went 63-29 (.685) and ended up seven games ahead of the third place team in the Wildcard race (the Rays).

The keys to their success? The bullpen — like the Rays, Athletics manager Bob Melvin utilized the opener/long reliever model to great effect — and a high slugging powered offense. Oakland ranked second in the big leagues in doubles (322) and extra-base hits (569), third in home runs (227), fourth in runs (813) and slugging (.439), and fifth in OPS (.764).

True, the Yankees have scored more runs and hit more homers than the Athletics, yet they are a single faceted team in a sense because they depend heavily on the home run. Because of it, they can be pitched to and tend to strike out a lot. Expect Melvin to lean on groundball hurlers that can keep the ball in the park.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Oakland has averaged 5.02 runs per game this season, ranking fourth in all of baseball, while the pitching staff features a 3.81 team ERA, good for 11th in the Majors.

New York’s powerful lineup averaged 5.25 runs per game this season, ranking second in the big leagues. However, the Yankees have underperformed the Athletics in the second half of the season.

Pitching Probables

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Liam Hendriks served as an opener in eight of his 25 regular-season appearances, logging a 2.08 ERA and 2.33 K/BB across 8-2/3 innings in those outings. Hendricks has worked to a 0.00 ERA/2.06 FIP/0.190 OBA/.250 BABIP/0.79 FIP over the last 14 days, with a 56.3 GB% and a 37.5% FB%. He has not given up a homer over that stretch (6-1/3 innings overall). Hendriks is 2-2 with a 6.32 ERA in career nine appearances (two starts) against the Yankees. Key Matchups: Greg Bird (1-2, 2B), Brett Gardner (1-2), Didi Gregorious (1-2), Andrew McCutchen (2-5, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI), Giancarlo Stanton (1-2)

Oakland will use its bullpen for the entire game. After Hendriks, the Athletics could turn to either Mike Fiers or Trevor Cahill in a long relief role. Fiers had been solid across 30 starts this season, performing to a 3.56 ERA, while Cahill registered a 3.76 ERA across 110 innings of work. The A’s bullpen ranked third in the big leagues with a terrific 3.37 ERA on the season.

Luis Severino had some rough patches this season yet still finished the season with a 3.39 ERA, backed up by excellent strikeout (28.2%) and walk (5.9%) rates. He finished the season strong, allowing just four runs in 17-2/3 innings over his final three starts. He’ll look to shake the memory of his performance in last season’s AL Wildcard game against Minnesota when he allowed three runs while getting just one single out. Severino is 1-1 with a 5.23 ERA in four career starts against the Athletics. Key Matchups: Matt Joyce (1-4, 2 BB), Ramon Laureano (1-2, 2B), Jed Lowrie (6-11, 3 RBI), Jonathan Lucroy (1-2), Chad Pinder (1-4, RBI), Stephen Piscotty (1-2, 2 RBI)

Noteworthiness

— Congratulations to Colorado for a big, extra-inning NL Wildcard win on Wednesday. The Rockies will move on to yet another area code (but same time zone) where they’ll face the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS.

The @Rockies win the NL #WildCard!

Watch them celebrate on #ClinchCam! #Rocktober #Postseason pic.twitter.com/fIRejbW82q

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 3, 2018

LBWMF: Rays hold on for 7-6 win over the Yankees in wild ballgame

July 24, 2018 By belowaverage Leave a Comment

Back-to-back exciting games has Willy and Blake like… (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Another wild one at the Trop last night, as the Tampa Bay Rays staved off the mighty New York Yankees in their 41st one-run game of the season. The Rays held on to a 7-6 victory, and are now 18-23 in one-run affairs.

Tampa Bay got on the board in the first inning after Jake Bauers hit a two-out double to right, off the top of the wall. With Ji-Man Choi at the plate, Severino uncorked a passed ball which Gary Sanchez lallygagged after. Bauers took advantage of Sanchez, scoring all the way from second base to score the game’s first run. It was a heads-up play by the rookie who easily could have settled for just moving up 90 feet.

Everything was right in front of me there, Bauers said after the game. I saw it kick pretty far away. Hustled to get to third, then once I got to third, I saw that tight window that was there and decided to take a chance. In the first inning, I would have told you that hits off Severino are hard to come by so you have to take a chance when you get one.

Meanwhile, Hunter Wood opened the game. And while he was tagged for one run, that probably shouldn’t be held against his line. In the second inning, Giancarlo “doubled,” and by that I mean Kevin Kiermaier lost the ball in the rubbed up baseball colored roof. Three batters later, Stanton came around to score on Miguel Andujar’s two-strike, two-out single to center. When you leave a hanging breaking ball over the plate, expect it to be hit.

Matt Andriese followed Wood for 3-2/3 innings, and looked pretty good. Andriese scattered three hits and fanned five, keeping the game tied through the fifth, when the Rays struck for three runs.

Jesus Sucre went down swinging on three pitches for the first out of the inning, yet Kevin Kiermaier and Matt Duffy hit back-to-back with singles (to center and left, respectively), bringing Bauers to the plate. Severino left a hanging slider over the heart of the plate, and Jake responded by sending the mistake pitch to deep right field for a three-run lead. Nevertheless the Yankees cut into that lead with a two-out rally a half inning later.

After Stanton reached on a single to right, Sunday’s hero Daniel Robertson committed an error that both allowed Aaron Hicks to reach base, and for Stanton to move into third. Rays manager Kevin Cash called upon the hard throwing Diego Castillo to get the final out of the frame, yet he promptly uncorked a passed ball, scoring Stanton. Three pitches later, Sanchez hit a 2-2 single to left field, bringing New York within one. but Greg Bird grounded out on the very next pitch, ending the threat.

With penance on his mind, Robertson led off the bottom of the sixth with a one-run homer to left field, atoning for his error.

The Rays weren’t done though. Mallex Smith doubled, Willy Adames singled, and Tampa Bay chased Severino after allowing double-digit hits for the first time in over two years (April 8, 2016 vs. Detroit). Jesus Sucre singled home Smith with Chad Green on the mound, and Matt Duffy plated a run on a fielder’s choice to short, giving the good guys a 7-3 advantage.

Not content with a four-run lead and the promise of a non-nailbiter of a game though, the Rays sent four different pitchers to the mound in the top of the seventh, as Castillo walked a pair, Jaime Schultz walked Aaron Judge to load the bases, Adam Kolarek got a ground out which plated a run, and Ryne Stanek allowed a two-run single before striking out Hicks to end the inning.

The Rays went quietly in the bottom of the frame, while Jose Alvarado — who got the final out of the eighth — again took the mound in the ninth with Sergio Romo out with the flu. That set up a wild end to the game.

As he is wont to do, Brett Gardner led off the inning with an infield hit. Judge was next, walking on six pitches including a wild pitch by the shockingly erratic southpaw. With the left-handed hitting Didi Gregorius stepping into the batter’s box, Aaron Boone called for a sacrifice bunt, which one one hand allowed both runners to move into scoring position, but on the other hand gave the Rays their first out and opened up first base. Instead of facing Stanton, who had reached base each of his past 10 plate appearances against Tampa Bay, Cash called for an intentional walk, setting up the double play opportunity.

Hicks followed with an RBI or bust opportunity, however, he grounded a ball to Duffy, who fired home to cut down the runner (Gardner) and keep the Yankees off the board.

Finally, with two outs and the bases loaded, Sanchez represented New York’s last opportunity to at least pull even on the ledger. With a 1-1 count, Sanchez grounded a ball to the left side of second base, but because of the shift Robertson made the play. For whatever reason, Robertson flipped the ball to Adames, who had a lot of ground to cover as he made his way across the diamond toward second base, subsequently allowing Hicks to beat him to the bag. And while it appeared as though the Yankees had tied the game, Adames made a heads up play, recognizing that Sanchez was lackadaisically making his way to first base. Adames fired over to Bauers, and got the final out of the wild contest.

Extremely heads-up, extremely heads-up, said Bauers of Adames’ play. That’s how you win games right there, with plays like that. He’s the guy who is going to make plays like that.

The New What Next

The Rays are expected to recall right-hander Yonny Chirinos (0-1, 3.71 ERA) from Triple-A Durham ahead of Tuesday night’s game. He will get the start opposite of Masahiro Tanaka (7-2, 4.54 ERA). To make room for Chirinos on the roster, LHP Adam Kolarek was optioned back to Durham.

Yonny Chirinos made six appearances (five starts) for the Rays in 2018, and sits with a 3.71 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 24 strikeouts over 26-2/3 innings. It will be his first big league start since April 28 when he was placed on the DL with a flexor tendon strain in his elbow. He later found himself on the shelf in Triple-A with a shoulder injury. He threw five innings his last time out for Durham, allowing three runs (two earned) against Buffalo.

Masahiro Tanaka allowed two runs on six hits and a walk while fanning five over 6-1/3 innings on Sunday. He did not factor into the decision. The right-hander gave up a two-run lead in the fourth inning after surrendering a home run to Edwin Encarnacion. In spite three straight solid performances (six runs allowed over 15-2/3 innings), Tanaka doesn’t have a win to show for his efforts. The splitter throwing Tanaka has not faced the Rays this season. He has a 7-2 record against Tampa Bay in 11 career starts, but with a 4.10 ERA, and is 3-2 with a 5.96 ERA in five starts at the Trop. Key Matchups: CJ Cron (1-3), Matt Duffy (1-3), Carlos Gomez (3-10, 2B, RBI, BB), Adeiny Hechavarria (3-5, RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (7-15, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, BB), Daniel Robertson (1-1, 2B), Jesus Sucre (1-2, 2B, RBI)

You can read about the series in our preview.