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The New What Next: Rays vs Red Sox — one last time with feeling

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15 game winner Blake Snell will take his 2.07 ERA and 3.29 FIP into his bump-day on Sunday, in the season finale against the Red Sox. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Hot on the heels of a four-game sweep against the Kansas City Royals, not to mention winners of five in a row, the Tampa Bay Rays welcome the Boston Red Sox into Tropicana Field for a three-game series, capping the season series between the AL East foes. Boston is coming off a series split against Cleveland.

It was the Rays first four-game series sweep since September 2013 (vs. Baltimore), and their first season series sweep against an AL team. Previously their only season sweep with multiple series came in 2013 against the Marlins, going 4-0.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

The sweep capped the season series versus Kansas City with Tampa Bay winning all seven games. The Rays pitching staff did so in dominant fashion, limiting the Royals to just seven runs total (1.75 runs per game). Tampa Bay used the lessons gleaned from the second and third games of the previous series against the Red Sox, last weekend, to great effect, effectively pairing fastballs with offspeed stuff to keep the Royals batters off balance. This will undoubtedly be part of their philosophy this weekend.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Boston still has the best, most well-rounded offense in baseball, however, both Cleveland and Tampa Bay proved that it could be slowed down. Moreover, Chris Sale is still on the DL and the Rays will not be facing David Price. If the pitching staff can continue to pitch as it has throughout the month of August — resulting in a 2.59 ERA and a 3.30 FIP — and if Mallex Smith M EFFECT and company can plate some runs against the less dominant hurlers on the Red Sox staff, MLB Player’s Weekend 2018 could make for some compelling baseball.

Pitching Probables

The Rays have yet to settle their pitching rotation for the first two games of the series, however — based on who pitched last and on how much rest they’ve had — BEEKER (2-1, 6.91 ERA), YARBITRON (12-5, 3,84 ERA), and ZILLA (15-5, 2.07 ERA) will likely see extended mound time this weekend. Alex Cora will respond with CABEZON (2-1, 3.10 ERA), VEINTIDÓS (15-6, 4.14 ERA), and EVO (5-5, 3.81 ERA).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Jalen Beeks picked up the win Sunday against his former team, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out three across four scoreless innings. Beeks handled the bulk of innings after opener Diego Castillo fired 1-2/3 scoreless frames to open the game. Beeks stifled Boston en route to his first scoreless appearance in the big league, lowering his ERA to 6.91 on the season. He now owns a solid 2.37 ERA through four August appearances (19 innings) after a disastrous start to his tenure with Tampa Bay.

Rays skipper Kevin Cash spoke about the challenges of any pitcher having to face the Red Sox twice in a week, which will be no easy task.

I don’t think it benefits anybody when you’re facing the Red Sox twice, I really don’t. That’s not to make an excuse for Jalen Beeks. I don’t care if it was Blake Snell or (Nationals ace) Max Scherzer or whoever. When you’re facing that lineup twice in five days, I don’t think it’s going to bode well for the pitcher as much as the hitter.

Hector Velazquez was the hard-luck loser against the Rays on Sunday, allowing one run on three hits and three walks over four innings. He struck out two. Making a spot start for the injured Chris Sale (shoulder), Velazquez limited the damage to a second-inning solo homer before handing the ball to the bullpen. He owns a solid 2.74 ERA across 65-2/3 innings this season. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (1-1, BB), Matt Duffy (5-7, BB), Joey Wendle (2-4, HR, RBI)

Ryan Yarbrough picked up the win on Monday after he fired off 5-1/3 scoreless innings against Kansas City. He struck out six. Yarbrough relinquished two hits and one walk in the outing. The southpaw replaced opener Hunter Wood midway through the second inning and recorded the final out with two runners on the base paths. Tampa Bay plated their lone run in the bottom half of the inning, making Yarbrough the pitcher of record while he and the bullpen shut down the Kansas City offense for the rest of the game. Yarbrough has kept the opposition off the board in each of his last three appearances while posting a 0.53 WHIP and 10-to-1 K/BB across 11-1/3 innings.

Rick Porcello took the loss Monday night after he gave up five runs on six hits and one walk over seven innings against Cleveland. He struck out six. The game was tied at three apiece heading into the seventh inning when Porcello got the first out before walking the next batter. After he was then hit in the stomach by a comebacker off the bat of Yan Gomes, which led to a fielder’s choice, Greg Allen broke the tie with a two-run home shot, proving to be the difference in the game. Porcello is 3-1 against the Rays this season, although his sole loss came on May 24, the last time he took the mound against Tampa Bay. In that game, the right-hander allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks over 3-2/3 innings. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (1-2), Ji-Man Choi (2-5, 2B, RBI), Matt Duffy (7-18, RBI), Carlos Gomez (3-9, 2B, HR, RBI), Joey Wendle (3-10, 2B)

Blake Snell tossed six innings of one-run ball on Tuesday against the Royals, allowing four hits and one walk with 11 strikeouts. Snell threw 66 percent of his pitches for strikes and induced 23 whiffs (35% SwStr) as he recorded his second highest punchout total of the season. Snell limited baserunners to great effect and was only scored upon via a fifth-inning solo home run in the fifth inning. Snell had failed to top five innings in any of his three previous turns on the mound since returning from the DL, so the 101-pitch effort was a good indicator that he is back to full strength.

Nathan Eovaldi allowed four runs on 10 hits and one walk while fanning two over 5-1/3 innings on Tuesday against Cleveland. The one-time Ray took the loss. Eovaldi’s first two starts in Boston were excellent, yet he has now given up 27 hits and three walks while allowing nine earned across his last three outings (13 innings of work). He also has struck out only seven over that span. When Eovaldi is on, he’s great. When he’s off, he can get shelled. Key Matchup: Carlos Gomez (4-11, 2 2B, 2 BB)

Noteworthiness

— OF Tommy Pham, who dislocated his finger Tuesday, remained sore and was out of the lineup on Thursday. He was able to take some swings before the series finale against the Royals and hopes to return Friday.

— Because it bears mentioning once again:

—The Rays will wear specially designed caps, socks, and jerseys, with their nicknames on the back, as part of the Player’s Weekend, and they will be allowed to use different colored cleats and other equipment. In case you missed it, here is a list of the Rays Player’s Weekend nicknames:

Willy Adames: “THE KID”
Jose Alvarado: “EL POCHO”
Jake Bauers: “JB”
Jalen Beeks: “BEEKER”
Diego Castillo: “SAMANA”
Yonny Chirinos: “YONITO”
Ji-Man Choi: “JI”
C.J. Cron: “BIG FELLA”
Jose De Leon: “PULPITO”
Matt Duffy: “DUFFMAN”
Jake Faria: “FUH-REE-UH”
Wilmer Font: “FONKY”
Tyler Glasnow: “MINI HORSE”
Carlos Gomez: “EL FINAL”
Kevin Kiermaier: “OUTLAW”
Adam Kolarek: “AK”
Vidal Nuno: “SLEEPY”
Michael Perez: “MYKII”
Tommy Pham: “PHAMTASTIC”
Daniel Robertson: “D-ROB”
Chaz Roe: “RANCH”
Sergio Romo: “EL MECHÓN”
Jaime Schultz: “SCHULTZY”
Mallex Smith: “M EFFECT”
Blake Snell: “ZILLA”
Ryne Stanek: “STANNY”
Jesus Sucre: “SOOKY”
Joey Wendle: “MENDLE”
Hunter Wood: “WOODY”
Ryan Yarbrough: “YARBITRON”

Rays reveal details and renderings of proposed stadium, part two — the unfavorable aspects

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(Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays hosted a press conference in which artistic renderings of a proposed stadium in Ybor City were revealed. The purpose of the presser was simple, to gin up enthusiasm for the project within the community and outside the urban core.

As with anything, many positives were expressed — and unintentional negatives were intimated — during the 45-minute meeting. In the spirit of conveying coherent ideas, as opposed to writing one long convoluted article, I decided to break the subject into two separate categories — thus necessitating two different articles — one on the positives, and one on the negatives. This piece happens to be about the unfavorable aspects from the press conference, which took place at the Italian Club in Ybor City, blocks from the the proposed 14-acre site.

As expected, the renderings painted a picture of an innovative, and breathtaking (by the accounts of many) facility which played well to those in attendance, as well as those streaming the press conference online.

Days ago Noah Pransky (WTSP 10 Investigates, Shadow of the Stadium blog) made a prediction of how the presser would play out, and dare I say it largely followed the script?

  1. Rays have thought of everything and they think their renderings are awesome.
  2. Pics took politicians’ breath away – they love them.
  3. But a lot of work lies ahead – they need businesses and the community to step up with money if this is going to happen.

A few crucial aspects of the team’s pitch were intentionally left off the agenda though, most notably a discussion about how to fund the project.

Stadium costs

The initial price tag for the proposed facility will be upward of $892-million, far exceeding Principal Owner Stu Sternberg’s initial “highball” estimate of $800-million. The costs break down into $809-million for the stadium itself and another $83-million for what the team calls “necessary infrastructure” improvements, including public realm and safety improvements, as well as mobility and resiliency improvements. The glass-domed roof will account for 30% of the total cost, roughly $245-million. Not included in cost estimates, however, are those associated with the relocation of the TECO substation, site acquisition, and the money owed to the City of St. Petersburg for the remaining balance on the stadium per the usage agreement, not to mention the cost of demolishing Tropicana Field.

The additional costs, assuming the Rays don’t pay for them on their own, bring the total price tag closer to $915-million for a stadium the team suggested it would contribute more than $150-million toward, but less than $300-million. Let’s instead say Sternberg commits anywhere from $250-million to $299-million — which clearly is a big “if” at the moment — that leaves Hillsborough on the hook for at least $616-million.

Flippant as he may be, Sternberg must be aware that $600-$700 million in public subsidies is a non-starter. And since the team hasn’t settled on a firm contribution yet, they clearly are playing negotiating shenanigans.

Stadium costs aside, Rays President Brian Auld conceded that the team has no answers on how to pay for the stadium, although he was quoted as saying, that it’s a “very compelling investment opportunity” for everyone in the room and is open to creative funding.

Rays executives had anywhere from five months (when they announced their preferred stadium site) and a decade to come up with funding ideas for a stadium, yet they waited until there are 5-1/2 months left in the MOU window to hammer out a deal. In plain English, the Rays have a park they want to build, but they don’t know how they will get it done.

It’s a stunning, albeit funny, admission that befuddled many.

Always the intrepid journalist, Pransky pointedly asked Sternberg how he plans to build the stadium he’s been dreamt of, and talked about, for years:

Pransky: $892-million. Can you afford it?
Sternberg: (Glibly) Well, potentially.
Pransky: What do you need from the public sector?
Sternberg: I haven’t even looked at it at this point really.
Pransky: You guys haven’t looked at it all?!?
Sternberg: Not to the point that’s necessary. We’ve been focused on what you saw today, which is in itself a huge, huge undertaking.

Pransky also questioned if there was a scaled-down ballpark model from the “Cadillac” version he rolled out, to which he said the showcased rendering actually is the “Buick.” In all fairness, they could scale-down bells, whistles, and costs later if necessary.

Then there was the query about what happens in five-to-six months if a deal doesn’t get hammered out? Sternberg, again, was glib, saying he hadn’t thought that far ahead.

It frankly was a disingenuous attempt to sell perception as reality. The team has thought long and hard about getting a stadium built which will be largely dependent upon public subsidization. Just slap together a few renderings and hope the general public will see the price tag as nothing more than a minor obstacle to overcome.

Neil deMause (Field of Schemes) put it another way:

So we are supposed to believe that the owner of a pro sports team, who for years has been demanding a new stadium as a way of improving his bottom line, went into designing and pricing out a new stadium with no thoughts at all of how it would be paid for or whether it would make money. Or the other possibility is that he thought, Hey, asking for hundreds of millions of dollars is a bad look — let’s just give the public lots of pretty pictures and hope they’ll be distracted enough not to worry about where the money will come from. I bet it’ll work on those stenographers at the Tampa Bay Times, anyway!

Since Tampa has been staked to tight budgets extending back to the recession of 2007/08, Mayor Bob Buckhorn didn’t sound too convinced the city could afford the price tag.

Buckhorn, however, allowed that a stadium is a want, not a need — one that is not worth leveraging the city’s future on.

It’s a lot of money. We’ve always known it was going to be a lot. I’m doing my best to try to get there, but I’m also willing to walk away if it doesn’t make sense…we don’t want to enter into a bad deal that’s going to burden my kids’ generation.

Moreover, Hillsborough County has limited funds available as it pays down debt on Raymond James Stadium, Steinbrenner Field and Amalie Arena over the next few decades.

Suffice it to say, coming up with a financial package over the waning 5-1/2 months will be a monumental task. When you add in the mounting resistance from people of all stripes, progressive and conservative, paired with Mayor Kriseman’s acknowledgement that he isn’t too keen on extending the MOU window, that monumental task becomes far larger.

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman released a statement Tuesday after the press conference. Pay specific attention to the verbiage at the end of the statement.

Today represents another step in the process for the Tampa Bay Rays as stadium renderings are necessary in order to generate enthusiasm in a community. This is also another step in the process for the City of St. Petersburg. We are continuing to plan for a future both with and without a stadium on the Tropicana Field site. I encourage all fans of the Tampa Bay Rays to enjoy the exciting product on the field as the Rays organization and stakeholders in Tampa and Hillsborough County work toward a resolution.

To whit, Kriseman likely is aware that professional sports franchises contribute just a fraction of a percent to the local economy. In turn, St. Petersburg will continue to move forward with or without the team. If you didn’t catch it though, the last four words — work toward a resolution — suggests that the Rays and stakeholders in Tampa and Hillsborough County are at odds with one another … that they are far from coming together with a resolution that pleases everyone involved. That’s not how mutually beneficial teams are made.

In conclusion

To quote the theme song from the hit 80’s comedy The Facts of Life,

You take the good
You take the bad
You take them both and there you have
The facts of life
The facts of life

When the world never seems
To be living up to your dreams
Then suddenly you’re finding out
The facts of life are all about you

There are many great aspects to this ambitious project. Then again, the same can be of the unfavorable attributes. The facts of life, as it were. Finding a location and coming up with a design have proven to be easy and exciting, yet finding the money and the public will to build a stadium are proving to be an uphill battle. I, like many other fans, want my beloved team to play in a new stadium. Yet that facility must be in a more feasible location, less contentious location (more on that tomorrow) and should not depend the generation of new public subsidies.

One final quote,

…And so it goes.
— Kurt Vonnegut

Rays acquire Rob Refsnyder from Cleveland; new food and fun options at Tropicana Field

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The Tampa Bay Rays acquired UTL Rob Refsnyder from Cleveland for cash considerations on Tuesday. (Photo Credit: Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

The Tampa Bay Rays came one step closer to solidifying their Opening Day roster on Tuesday, acquiring utility-player Rob Refsnyder from Cleveland for cash considerations.

Out of options and holding a needed spot on Cleveland’s 40-man roster, Refsnyder has played parts of three seasons in the big leagues with the Yankees and Blue Jays in right and left field, as well as first and second base.

The 27 year-old Refsnyder once was a well-regarded prospect in New York’s farm system, although he hasn’t produced at the Major League level, performing to just a .233 BA/.306 OBP/.311 SLG/.617 OPS line over 320 career plate appearances. More recently, he had a rough spring, slashing .191 BA/.298 OBP/.362 SLG/.660 OPS in 58 plate appearances.

Refsnyder, however, offers the Rays a versatile glove and gives them another multi-position bench option next to Daniel Robertson. Tampa Bay had been looking for a right-handed outfield bat, so Refsnyder fills that need (by definition, of course) even if his offensive peripherals have lagged.

After the Grapefruit League finale, the Rays reassigned to minor-league camp the other two outfield candidates, Brandon Snyder and Johnny Field, alongside Curt Casali.

Tampa Bay’s roster now sits at 27 pending a trade or release of RHP Daniel Hudson and putting RHP Jose De Leon on the 60-day DL. The Rays have until 11:30 Thursday morning to submit a complete 25-man roster.

What’s new at the Trop this season?

Fans attending Thursday’s home opener against those Massholes will find plenty of new stuff at the Trop. As St. Petersburg’s mayor Rick Kriseman put it, the food offerings at the Trop this year are very St. Pete…(a) nice showcase of just some of what we offer in the Sunshine City!

What follows are Marc Topkin and Christopher Spata’s (Tampa Bay Times) tweeted dispatches of the new what next from the official unveiling on Tuesday.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward: Rays fall 5-1 to the Giants before a packed house

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The Tampa Bay Rays celebrated unity and inclusion at Tropicana Field on Friday. (Photo Credit: Anthony Ateek/X-Rays Spex)

The Tampa Bay Rays celebrated unity and inclusion at Tropicana Field on Friday. (Photo Credit: Anthony Ateek/X-Rays Spex)

Chris Archer put the Rays behind early on Friday, as Tampa Bay fell to the San Francisco Giants, 5-1. The Giants have won six straight, while the Rays fell to 4-3 on their current homestand.

The loss came on Pride Night before a sellout crowd at Tropicana Field. All told, the team raised more than $300,000 for the victims of the Pulse Night Club tragedy.


Source: FanGraphs

Aside from Brad Miller’s two-out solo shot in the ninth (seen below), the Rays managed just three singles — two of which came in the bottom of the second inning after Logan Morrison and Steve Pearce went back-to-back with base hits to right and center (respectively). Unfortunately Corey Dickerson popped out to short, Desmond Jennings struck out, and Jaff Decker flew out to the wall in center field, ending the threat. That became the only real scoring opportunity against Jeff Samardzija through the front eight innings.

From the third inning on Samardzija allowed just a Jennings single until Miller spoiled the shutout in the ninth. The luck dragons were strong with with the tall righty, who collected an obscene .133 BABIP against.

Click the photo to see video of Miller's solo shot. (Photo Credit: Chris O'Meara)

Click the photo to see video of Miller’s solo shot. (Photo Credit: Chris O’Meara)

Manager Kevin Cash noted that the fielders behind Samardzija had a lot to do with Tampa Bay’s inability to manufacture runs.

On the flip side of things, Archer made quick work of the first two batters before walking Brandon Belt, and allowing a double to right by Buster Posey. Brandon Crawford put San Francisco on the board early with two-run double to left center. The rough go of things in the first highlight Archer’s first inning troubles, as the Rays’ ace has now allowed 16 first inning runs over his last 15 starts (extending back to April 3). Compare that to last season, when he allowed just 14 first inning runs over 34 total appearances.

I think if I don’t walk that guy then things are a little bit different, Archer said after the game. But Buster Posey hit a good pitch there, and the pitch they scored on was not a very well-struck ball. …I felt like if I forced them to put the ball in play, I’m able to minimize the damage and keep it a little closer from the beginning.

The Giants blew the game open in the fourth inning, and it all started with a leadoff walk of Crawford. One out later, Angel Pagan reached on catcher’s interference — a costly mistake on the part of Casali.

A bonehead move on my part, said Casali after the game.

After a wild pitch moved runners up 90 feet, Jarrett Parker worked a bases loading walk. Gregor Blanco followed with a two-run single to left-center, giving San Francisco a four run advantage.

The Giants capped their scoring against Enny Romero in the seventh, after Belt went yard with a two-out solo shot.

Let us not forget that when all was said and done, it was more than just a ball game — it was a time to mourn, a time to come together, and a time to heal.

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(Photo Credit: Adam Kuhn)

Casali said it best in his postgame interview:

It actually brought a tear to my eye. …Today was more than baseball, it was about honoring those who were taken from us too early in a terrible scenario that nobody can really put in words.

The New What Next

The Rays and Giants play game two of a three-game set on Saturday. LHP Matt Moore will get the start opposite of RHP Albert Suarez, who will make a pinch start for Jake Peavy, who is suffering from neck soreness. Moore, who is making his first appearance against San Francisco, is 2-3 with a 5.65 ERA in nine career interleague starts. The southpaw is coming off his best start of the season vs. the Astros. Suarez, a longtime Rays minor-leaguer, spent seven years with the organization and never got above Double-A. He has appeared in eight games in 2016 (two starts). You can read about the Rays and Giants in our series preview.

Rays 6/18/16 Starting Lineup

Forsythe 2B
Miller SS
Longoria 3B
Morrison 1B
Pearce DH
Dickerson LF
Mahtook CF
Decker RF
Conger C
Moore LHP

Noteworthiness

— It bears mentioning, the Trop could have been the Giants’ home if a 1992 deal to buy the team and relocate it to St. Petersburg hadn’t been rejected by major-league owners. Conversely, the Giants would be the team seeking a new stadium had the deal gone through.

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I grew up in that wasteland of a city, one absent of a Major League Baseball team. And while the St. Petersburg Cardinals scratched my baseball itch to a certain degree, it just wasn’t the same. I think a certain segment of the population takes for granted that we are but one city, out of 30 total, that is fortunate enough to be the home of an MLB franchise. I’d prefer to not regress and lose my small market team, after all there is a certain amount of community pride and esteem that comes with having a big league ball club. How about this: let’s all do a better job in making it out to the Trop to show our appreciation for our current team before it’s too late. It’s time to rally around the Rays, people.

The New What Next: Rays vs Yankees ― a series preview

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Logan Morrison celebrates a two-run homer in the sixth inning on Wednesday. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)

Logan Morrison celebrates a two-run homer in the sixth inning on Wednesday. (Photo Credit: Will Vragovic/Tampa Bay Times)

The Tampa Bay Rays will hit a prove your mettle part of the schedule on Friday, when they kick off a three-game series against their AL East rival New York Yankees at Tropicana Field.

Screen Shot 2016-05-26 at 9.29.28 PM

The Rays looked as though they were turning things around after collecting 38 runs during a four-game win streak, yet they have gone 1-5 since while allowing just over six runs per game in that span. Tampa Bay fell a half-game behind the Yankees after dropping three of four in a home/home series against the Miami Marlins.

Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) wrote about the struggles among the front five on Friday, saying,

And when the front four to their touted rotation — Chris Archer, Drew Smyly, Jake Odorizzi and Matt Moore — has a combined 8-16 record, a 4.46 ERA and has allowed 216 hits in 220 innings, the job is not getting done.

Topkin also included a rather telling quote from the Rays skipper,

We came in, a lot of hype about our pitching staff,” manager Kevin Cash said. These guys take a lot of pride in what they do. They’re going to figure it out, and when they do, we’re going to get hot. …But we need them to pitch better. We need them to get going. They’re fully aware of that.

And while the starters have collected just 26 quality starts in 44 games, the hope is that they can snap out of this funk, starting now.

The Yankees dropped two straight following a six-game win streak ahead of a lengthy 10-game road trip. And while they continue to receive stellar pitching, logging seven quality starts in their last eight games, their offense hasn’t been so hot ― especially on the road. New York is putting up a lackluster combined .234 BA/.297 OBP/.344 SLG/.641 OPS/.283 wOBA/-20.2 wRAA slash line away from new Yankee Stadium.

Screen Shot 2016-05-26 at 9.30.02 PM

Kevin Cash will throw Chris Archer (3-5, 5.16 ERA), Matt Moore (1-3, 5.47 ERA), and Jake Odorizzi (2-2, 3.46 ERA) over the holiday weekend. Joe Girardi will counter with Masahiro Tanaka (2-0, 3.24 ERA), Michael Pineda (2-5, 6.24 ERA), and Nathan Eovaldi (5-2, 3.95).

Screen Shot 2016-05-26 at 10.31.11 PM

Rays series starters

Archer lasted just three innings on Sunday, allowing six runs on eight hits and a walk while fanning four in a 9-4 loss to the Tigers. The righty appeared to be turning things around, posting a combined 3.18 ERA in his first three starts in May, yet he flopped in the less than ace caliber start. While his impressive 11.18 K/9 is a career high, so are his 4.47 BB/9, 1.72 HR/9, and 3.50 BABIP. Archer will take another stab at righting the ship against a Yankees offense that hasn’t been very good on the road this season.

Archer maintained a positive mental attitude about his struggles, telling MLB’s official website,

I’ve kept the team in the game. So mechanical, there’s no adjustments. Just need to throw pitches in better locations.

Curt Casali, whose caught Archer over the last handful of games, also waxed positive,

He was nasty. But sometimes it’s too nasty. Sometimes his stuff is so good it’s hard to control. And I completely get it. He gets it, too. He knows he needs to be better. The team needs him to be better. He’s going to get back to the drawing board tomorrow and get back to work and help us in his next start.

Moore gave up five runs on 10 hits and a walk with just three strikeouts over five innings on Monday. The southpaw allegedly worked with pitching coach Jim Hickey to address a hitch in his delivery, yet the results suggest otherwise. Moore wasn’t very whiffy (seven whiffs in 88 pitches) and allowed three extra-base hits, including a home run. He allowed fewer than one long ball per nine innings in his first three starts of the season, however, he’s given up 17 in just 109 innings (1.4 HR/9) since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2015. His ERA is now up to 5.47 (4.52 FIP), and don’t expect things to get better until he can figure out how to efficiently put batters away, and keep the ball in the yard.

Odorizzi blanked the Marlins on two hits and three walks while striking out seven to earn his second win of the season on Tuesday. Be that as it may, he threw 107 pitches which forced an early exit, while the bullpen barely held onto to lead as the Rays narrowly eked out a victory. We all miss the efficient Jake of 2015.

Yankees series starters

Tanaka scattered five hits, an earned run, and two walks over seven strong innings on Saturday. He fanned four. Tanaka was efficient, needing just 92 pitches (13 pitches per inning, 64 strikes) overall, collecting first-pitch strikes on 16 of 28 batters. This after he allowed 15 hits and 10 earned runs in his previous two starts. Tanaka Stymied Tampa Bay on April 23, allowing just two runs on five hits and a walk over seven innings, striking out seven. Key matchups: Corey Dickerson (2-3, 2B, RBI), Brandon Guyer (1-2, 2B)

Pineda earned his second win of the season on Sunday, when he allowed three runs on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts across six innings. Despite collecting his first quality start since May 6, Pineda is still owns a gaudy 6.34 ERA, although his 11.88 K/9 in a three start stretch is impressive. The Rays beat up on the righty on April 24, tagging him for seven runs on 10 hits including four home runs. Key matchups: Corey Dickerson (1-3, HR, RBI), Desmond Jennings (3-8, 2B), Brad Miller (2-7, 2B, RBI, 2 BB), Steve Pearce (3-10, HR, RBI), Steven Souza Jr. (6-12, 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI)

Eovaldi limited Toronto to two hits and three walks over six innings Tuesday night, collecting five strikeouts along the way. The two hits surrendered by Eovaldi were singles. The three walks, however, tied a season high for Eovaldi, although he’s done a decent job of limiting his free passes this season ― 5.9% over 54-2/3 innings. In 2016, he has relied primarily on a blazing 98 mph four seam fastball that generates a lot of grounders, and an 89 mph worm-burner of a splitter. He’s also mixed in a whiffy 89 mph slider and an average 76 mph curveball bereft of movement. Key matchups: Hank Conger (2-6, 2B, BB), Evan Longoria (1-4), Steve Pearce (1-3), Steven Souza Jr. (2-4)

Noteworthiness

― Despite outscoring the Yankees 13-10, the Rays are 1-2 this season against New York.

― RBI Machine Logan Morrison is 16-31 with three homers and 10 RBI over the last 10 games.

― Mark Teixeira will miss at least the first two games of the series after receiving cortisone shots in his neck.

― Alex Rodriguez pulled an 0’fer in four at-bats Thursday in his first game back from the disabled list.

― Jacoby Ellsbury is a staggering 16-24 against Archer.