Yonny Chirinos Archives

The New What Next: Rays vs Yankees, one last time — a series preview

September 24, 2018 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Tommy Pham scored on a sixth-inning double by CJ Cron on Sunday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Following their 5-2 win in the road finale against the Blue Jays on Sunday, the Tampa Bay Rays returned home to the friendly confines of Tropicana Field ahead of a four-game series against the New York Yankees. In spite of the two tough losses in Toronto, the Rays won five of seven during their last road trip of the season. The Yankees took two of three from the lowly Orioles, yet fell 6-3 on Sunday. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and 10-10 over a 20-game stretch.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

The Rays remain mathematically alive in the AL Wildcard race, although they will need a lot of help from Seattle this week, as they sit 6.5 games behind the Oakland Athletics for the final Wildcard spot with 7 games remaining. However, Tampa Bay’s tragic number is down to one, meaning one more Oakland win or Rays loss officially ends it.

There is still a way the Rays can make it to the playoffs, albeit one that is absolutely improbable: Tampa Bay must win all seven games on their homestand against the Yankees and Blue Jays, while the Athletics must lose the final six games of their season. The odds of that happening are astronomical, to say the least.

Still, as Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) opined, the Rays might be motivated to make life tough on the rival Yankees, who are trying to keep the home-field advantage in the AL Wildcard game. On top of that, the team has a chance to finish with 90-plus wins, thus defying even the bullish 85-win PECOTA projection from February. And while that may not offer much solace to the casual fan, two things bear mentioning:

The Rays are a young team with a high upside for years to come. A successful season at the big league level will go a long way for the kids.
The last time the Rays put together a 90+ win campaign without the benefit of a trip to the playoffs (in 2012), they played relevant games past September 30 the following season — a game 163 tie-breaker, and the subsequent Wildcard win thrust them into the ALDS against Boston.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

As has been the case for the second half of the season (.268 BA/.346 OBP/.430 SLG/.776 OPS/.336 wOBA/115 +wRC for Tampa Bay vs .242 BA/.326 OBP/.424 SLG/.750 OPS/.325 wOBA/103 wRC+ for New York) the Rays have outperformed the Yankees offensively over the last 14 days. The question begs, however: Can the Rays continue their recent dominance over the Yankees? Tampa Bay has won eight of the last 10 games against the Bronx Bummers after starting the season 0-5. Moreover, the Rays are 5-1 against the Yankees at home.

Pitching Probables

Note: It is rather difficult to project who will take the mound over the life of the series since only one hurler has been named; Diego Castillo (3-2, 3.25 ERA) will open the series for the Rays. Beyond that, it’s a reasonable assumption the below-listed hurlers will toe the rubber for dueling foes this week, based on when they last pitched. This projection is in no way, shape, or form set in stone. I will make note of any changes as they are announced, either in this series preview or in subsequent articles.

Kevin Cash could lean primarily on Ryan Yarbrough (15-5, 3.88 ERA), Yonny Chirinos (4-5, 3.68 ERA), Jalen Beeks (5-1, 5.36 ERA), and Tyler Glasnow (2-7, 4.23 ERA) over the next four days. Aaron Boone could counter with Luis Severino (18-8, 3.38 ERA), Masahiro Tanaka (12-5, 3.67 ERA), CC Sabathia (8-7, 3.77 ERA), and Lance Lynn (9-10, 4.80 ERA).

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

Diego Castillo has been the Rays’ opener on 10 occasions so far this season, and Monday will mark the 11th. Castillo allowed one run on one hit (a home run) in one inning of work on Friday. Otherwise, the right-hander has given up just two runs in his last eight appearances (totaling 11-2/3 innings) while striking out 15 and walking just two (a 7.5 K/BB over that stretch).

Ryan Yarbrough picked up his 15th win of the season on Wednesday, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks across four innings. He struck out six. The southpaw wasn’t exactly sharp, but he was able to pick up the win thanks to a plethora of run support from Tampa Bay’s offense. Working primarily as a long reliever, the southpaw has posted a 3.88 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 123 strikeouts across 139-1/3 innings this season.

Luis Severino picked up his 18th win on the season on Wednesday, allowing one run on six hits and one walk across seven innings. He collected six punch outs. Severino was in control all along, allowing just one extra-base hit en route to his first win, and quality start, of September. Prior to Wednesday’s outing, the right-hander hadn’t completed seven innings since August 8. Severino has now allowed just two runs over his last two starts (totaling 12-2/3 innings). He is 2-1 with a 3.54 ERA in three starts against the Rays this season, but 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA at the Trop after a disastrous five-inning, six-run outing on July 23. Key Matchups: Jake Bauers (3-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB), Matt Duffy (2-8), Carlos Gomez (1-4), Mallex Smith (3-10, 2B)

Yonny Chirinos tossed 4-2/3 scoreless innings, yet took a no-decision on Thursday, allowing just one hit and a walk while striking out five. After the “opener” Ryne Stanek allowed three straight hits to start the second inning, Chirinos came in and shut the Blue Jays down. The 24-year-old now owns a 3.68 ERA and would’ve earned the victory had it not been for a ninth-inning bullpen meltdown.

Masahiro Tanaka allowed five earned runs on eight hits and no walks while striking out three across four innings on Thursday against the Red Sox. Tanaka never got comfortable on the mound, allowing at least one earned run in three of the four innings he completed. It was his highest earned run total since August 10, and the first time he has not worked at least five innings in his last eight turns. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 1.20 ERA against the Rays this season, including a complete game shutout on July 24. Key Matchups: CJ Cron (3-6, 2B), Carlos Gomez (3-10, 2B, RBI, BB), Kevin Kiermaier (7-22, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, BB), Brandon Lowe (1-2, 2B), Tommy Pham (2-3, 2B, RBI), Jesus Sucre (2-5, 2B, RBI), Joey Wendle (2-3, 2B, RBI)

Jalen Beeks allowed two runs on two hits (two solo home runs) across three innings on Friday. That outing came on the heels of a two-inning shutout appearance on Wednesday in Arlington. Beeks hasn’t given up a ton of runs, just six in his last seven appearances, however, he also has thrown more than four innings just once (8/24 vs Boston).

CC Sabathia allowed two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out five across six innings in a win against Baltimore on Friday. The southpaw surrendered a two-run single in the fifth inning but exited the ballgame with a four-run lead after throwing 59 of 97 pitches for strikes (61% strike rate). Sabathia was coming off a seven-run, 2-1/3 inning outing — his shortest start of the season. He has posted a 3.77 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with 135 strikeouts through 148 innings this season. Sabathia is 0-2 with a 2.77 ERA in two starts against the Rays this season. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (2-6, RBI), Matt Duffy (5-9, 2 RBI), Carlos Gomez (9-21, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (5-16, 2 HR, 2 RBI), Adam Moore (1-2)

Tyler Glasnow took the loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday despite giving up three runs in six innings. He allowed six hits (including a home run) and two walks while fanning six. The right-hander gave up all three runs in the fourth inning on Rowdy Tellez’s two-run homer and Reese McGuire’s run-scoring double. Glasnow notched his fourth quality start in five outings although he is 1-5 in his last six turns.

Lance Lynn didn’t factor into the decision on Saturday, allowing two runs (one earned) in five innings. He allowed seven hits and two walks while striking out four along the way. Lynn has worked either five or six innings and given up two or fewer runs in each of his last three starts. He has done just enough to eat innings at the back end of New York’s rotation with questionable depth. In spite of a 4.80 ERA and 4.39 BB/9 on the season, he’s fanned 9.20 batters per nine across 153-2/3 innings. Lynn last faced the Rays on April 20, in a 6 IP/7 H/5 R/5 BB outing. Key Matchups: Matt Duffy (2-6), Kevin Kiermaier (2-6, 2B), Tommy Pham (1-2), Mallex Smith (1-2, BB), Joey Wendle (1-3)

The New What Next: Rays vs. Athletics, part two — a series preview

September 14, 2018 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Ji-Man Choi clearly is excited for the weekend series against the Athletics. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After 5-1/2 months and 146 games, the Tampa Bay Rays are on the precipice of their most important series of the season. Enter the Oakland Athletics. A series win would allow the Rays to gain anywhere from one and three games on the Athletics, who sit eight games ahead of Tampa Bay in the American League Wildcard race. Then again, a series loss would all but wipe the slate clean on Tampa Bay’s postseason hopes in 2018. Expect the high drama and excitement of postseason baseball this weekend … this writer happens to be stoked, as does the Rays skipper:

I’m excited to see how the guys come in and perform, Rays manager Kevin Cash said. It’s being talked about. I kind of like the fact that it’s being talked about. Let’s see. Put some added emphasis on it and see how we respond. I’m going to guess that we’ll handle it well because they’ve handled all the challenges really well to this point.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

The Rays are coming off a series win against the AL Central-leading squad out of Cleveland. They continued their hot run of play having beaten two of the best pitchers in baseball, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco. The key to the Rays success was the pitching staff, which limited Edwin Encarnacion and company to just seven total runs. Cleveland hoped to clinch the division title at the Trop, but that was not to be thanks to solid pitching and advantageous run scoring.

Since the start of September, Tampa Bay’s pitching staff has performed to a combined 3.12 ERA/3.12 FIP (starters 3.82 ERA/3.88 FIP, relievers 2.77 ERA/2.89 FIP).

Meanwhile, the Athletics are coming off three consecutive series wins (vs. the Yankees, Rangers, and Orioles), although they did drop the series finale against Baltimore on Thursday, 5-3, which allowed Tampa Bay to pick up a half game in the AL Wildcard race. Like the Rays, Oakland’s hurlers have been very good, yet unlike Tampa Bay — which has a more well-rounded pitching staff — the Athletics success comes mainly from the relievers.

Decimated by injuries, the starting rotation has performed to a 4.05 ERA/4.99 FIP in the month of September (33-1/3 combined innings). Compare that the bullpen, which has performed to a 2.86 ERA/3.10 FIP in 56-2/3 September innings. If you’re counting, that’s an average of 3.33 innings per start over the last 11 games. And while the Rays’ starters maintain a similar innings per start figure in the month of September, that’s because of Kevin Cash’s use of openers three out of every five games.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Oakland has edged out Tampa Bay with a marginally better .695 winning percentage since the All-Star Break (as compared to a .633 WP%), although one could argue that the Rays are the more exciting team due in part to their nine walk-off wins. In order for the Rays to beat the Athletics this weekend, they will need to score runs early and often. It also will be incumbent on the pitching staff to preserve any leads the team may hold, and rein in the league-leading home run hitter Khris Davis, as well as rest of the team.

Tampa Bay beat Oakland three-games-to-one between May 28 to May 31, scoring 14 runs and limiting the Athletics to 10 along the way.

Pitching Probables

Considering when they last pitched, Kevin Cash will likely lean on Ryan Yarbrough (14-5, 3.78 ERA), Yonny Chirinos (4-5, 3.81 ERA), and Jalen Beeks (4-1, 5.57 ERA) to pitch the majority of innings over the next three days. Diego Castillo (3-2, 3.81 ERA) will open Friday, with the other two “openers” listed as TBD. There is also the possibility that Tyler Glasnow could pitch on regular rest. Bob Melvin will respond by throwing former Ray Edwin Jackson (5-3, 3.26 ERA), a pitcher to be announced before Saturday’s ballgame, and Mike Fiers (12-6, 3.29 ERA).

(Stats Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

Diego Castillo gave up the early lead on Monday when Michael Brantley walked with one out, was wild pitched into scoring position, and moved up to third on a groundout. Edwin Encarnacion followed with a single to left, putting Cleveland in front. Although that was the only hit Castillo would allow, as the right-hander gave up just one hit in the first two innings.

Yonny Chirinos allowed three earned runs on seven hits across 6-1/3 quality innings in a win over Baltimore on Sunday. He struck out six. Chirinos turned in the equivalent of a quality start, getting through his six-plus frames on an efficient 94 pitches (59 strikes, 63% strike rate, 16/25 first-pitch strikes). The right-hander has generated mixed results since assuming his current role, but he’s been sharper of late — considering Sunday’s line, Chirinos has allowed four earned runs over 13-1/3 innings while generating a 3.67 K/BB over his last two turns on the mound.

Edwin Jackson allowed four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out five across three innings. The right-hander struggled after firing a scoreless first inning, allowing four runs on three extra-base hits over the next two innings plus before being chased one batter into the fourth. The rough outing raised Jackson’s ERA from 2.91 to 3.26. The former Ray is 3-3 with a 3.98 ERA in six career starts against Tampa Bay, and 11-16 with a 5.35 ERA in 33 starts at the Trop. Key Matchups: Matt Duffy (2-2), Mallex Smith (1-1, RBI)

Ryan Yarbrough picked up the win Saturday against the Orioles, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks across 3-2/3 innings. He struck out three. Yarbrough handled the majority of Saturday’s game for the Rays, allowing a run-scoring single to Jonathan Villar in the third inning and a two-run homer to Renato Nunez in the fourth, but a healthy amount of run support propelled the southpaw to his 14th win of the season. Yarbrough now owns a 3.78 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 2.61 K/BB across 133-1/3 innings (34 appearances, six starts) this season.

TBA

Jalen Beeks boasted neither fastball command or control Monday night. After escaping a pair of threatening situations in his first two innings of work, Francisco Lindor hit a one-out single to right, and Michael Brantley doubled to right-center. Jose Ramirez followed by looping a ball into shallow centerfield that fell beyond Brandon Lowe and in front of Smith for a double, chasing Beeks after 2-1/3 innings (51 pitches, 33 strikes, 65% strike rate, 8/13 first-pitch strikes) and making it 4-2. That made for the third consecutive short outing by the right-hander after he built up his arm back in August.

Mike Fiers allowed one run on four hits and one walk while striking out seven in six innings on Tuesday. He picked up the win. His remarkable run since getting traded to Oakland continued, as the right-handed Fiers is now 5-0 with 42 strikeouts across 39.2 innings (seven starts) in an Athletics uniform. He has won six straight decisions overall, and only needed 84 pitches (56 strikes, 66% strike rate, 18/22 first-pitch strikes) to cruise to this quality start. Fiers is 1-1 with a 5.14 ERA in four starts against the Rays, and 1-1 with a 7.31 ERA in three career starts at Tropicana Field. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (1-3, 2B), Matt Duffy (2-7), Mallex Smith (1-3), Jesus Sucre (2-5)

The New What Next: Rays vs Orioles — one last series preview

September 7, 2018 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Despite dropping the series finale in Toronto, snapping a four-game win streak, Kevin Kiermaier clubbed a pair of homers, accounting for two of the Rays three runs. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays return home from a successful eight-game road trip, where they will begin a nine-game homestand on Friday. The first to come into Tropicana Field are the Baltimore Orioles, who the Rays will face for the last time of the 2018 season.

The AL East foes are knotted up at 8-8 on the season, and Tampa Bay enters the series eight games back in the AL Wildcard race.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

Despite dropping the series finale against Toronto, 10-3, Tampa Bay returned from its eight-game road trip having won five games — three of which came against top ceded teams. The Rays have re-asserted themselves into the postseason chase (well, in the eyes of the mainstream sporting world … some of us have been banging the drum for the Rays all season) with a hot 19-8 stretch of play, thanks to a productive offense and solid pitching.

Meanwhile, Baltimore — which is trying to stave off the inevitable 100 loss season — is coming off a series loss against the Seattle Mariners, having lost 15 of the last 20 games overall.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Suffice it to say, the Rays, somehow, have met a formidable opponent in the Orioles this season. Yet six of their eight wins have come under the big top, where they outscored the Birds 26-18. They say you must beat the teams beneath you, and well … the Orioles are the worst team in baseball. Tampa Bay needs to use this series as a springboard before the two important series that follow, against Cleveland and Oakland.

Pitching Probables

Based on when they last pitched, Kevin Cash will likely lean primarily on Blake Snell (17-5, 2.02 ERA), Ryan Yarbrough (13-5, 3.68 ERA), and Yonny Chirinos (3-5, 3.76 ERA) this weekend. Buck Showalter will counter with Dylan Bundy (7-13, 5.36 ERA), David Hess (3-9, 5.24 ERA), and Alex Cobb (5-15, 4.97 ERA).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Blake Snell allowed three hits (a single and two doubles), a walk, and three stolen bases in the first two innings of his last start. A throwing error by Matt Duffy in the second inning — when Cleveland took a two-run lead — certainly didn’t help. From there, however, the southpaw didn’t allow a runner beyond first base. He retired 10 consecutive batters before giving up a two-out single to Erik Gonzalez in the seventh inning and struck out four in a row during one stretch.

All told, Snell gave up two runs (one earned) on eight hits and a walk while striking out nine on 101 pitches (62 strikes, 61% strike rate, 14/27 first-pitch strikes) across 6-2/3 innings. At 17 wins on the season, the left-hander is tied with Luis Severino and Corey Kluber — two other top candidates for the Cy Young Award — for the most wins in the majors. Snell is 5-0 in his last six starts while his 2.02 ERA is second in the AL behind Chris Sale (1.97 ERA).

Dylan Bundy allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk across 5-1/3 innings on Saturday. He struck out eight. The right-hander threw 71 of 101 pitches for strikes (70% strike rate) in his best start in almost a month — Bundy had otherwise been hammered for 25 runs in 19-1/3 innings over his previous four outings. After dishing up eight runs (seven earned) in his first start of the season against Tampa Bay (April 26), Bundy has allowed just three runs in his two subsequent two. Key Matchups: Jake Bauers (1-3, HR, RBI), CJ Cron (4-13, 2B, 3 HR, 4 RBI), Kevin Kiermaier (2-7, HR, 3 RBI, BB), Mallex Smith (4-12, HR, 2 RBI), Joey Wendle (2-8, 2B, RBI)

Ryan Yarbrough tossed five innings of relief on Sunday, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while striking out three against Cleveland. The southpaw took the mound in the second inning after opener Diego Castillo tossed a scoreless first, and held Cleveland scoreless until the seventh when he allowed an RBI single to Jose Ramirez, knocking him out of the game. Yarbrough has lowered his ERA to 3.68, with a 2.67 K/BB, thanks to a 21-1/3 inning stretch where he has allowed just two earned runs total.

David Hess allowed five runs (four earned) on nine hits across four innings on Sunday against the Royals. He struck out three and threw just 10/21 first-pitch strikes. Hess was scored upon in three different innings and had an unearned run that originated from his own wild pitch. Hess was coming off three consecutive quality starts — perhaps his best stretch of the season. The right-hander held Tampa Bay scoreless across six innings in his first meeting of the season (May 25), but allowed three runs on four hits in 5-2/3 innings on August 9. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (1-2, HR, RBI, BB), Matt Duffy (4-9, 2B, HR, 4 RBI), Joey Wendle (4-5, BB)

Yonny Chirinos put together another one of those spotty nights where he looked both terrible and terrific. His first inning was so bad, laboring through 25 pitches including back to back walks — and forcing Rays skipper Kevin Cash to get the bullpen warmed up early — then, with a refocused verve, zipped through the next six innings on just 47 pitches. When all was said and done, Chirinos threw seven innings of one-run ball, allowing just four hits, but three walks, on 72 efficient pitches (42 strikes, 58% strikes, 10.3 pitches per inning). The right-hander coaxed 12 ground balls, including three double plays.

Alex Cobb allowed one run on four hits and three walks while striking out two over six innings against the Mariners on Tuesday. Cobb allowed a solo home run to Robinson Cano in the first inning, then settled down the rest of the way to notch his seventh quality start in eight tries. The former Ray has worked to an impressive 2.73 ERA over 52-2/3 innings in that span, although the damage on his season-long peripherals (4.97 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) has already been done thanks to a dreadful start to his 2018 campaign. Cobb is 0-3 with a 4.63 ERA in four starts against his former team, although his last start was very good, as the right-hander limited the Rays to one run on five hits and two walks across seven innings. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (1-3), Jake Bauers (2-6, 2 RBI), Ji-Man Choi (2-3, 2B, RBI), Matt Duffy (2-6), Mallex Smith (4-8, 2B), Joey Wendle (4-11, 2 RBI)

The New What Next: Rays vs Blue Jays, part four — a series preview

September 3, 2018 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Tampa Bay completed an impressive 6-2 run in three consecutive series against division leaders, sweeping Boston at home, splitting a pair in Atlanta, and taking two of three in Cleveland. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

The Tampa Bay Rays look to cap what has been a successful road trip with a few more wins when they start a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night. Tampa Bay prevailed against Cleveland on Sunday, 6-4, taking two of three from the top team in the AL Central. Toronto took two of three on the road from the Marlins in Miami, winning the rubber game 6-1 Sunday afternoon.

The Rays took two of three in the last series against the Jays, which was in Toronto from August 10-12, and are 7-2 this season overall.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

With the win Sunday, the Rays improved to 73-63, moving 10 games over .500 for the first time since June 2015 — Kevin Cash’s first season — and this late in a season since 2013, the last time they made the playoffs.

They have also stayed within sight of the final Wildcard spot, starting the series with Toronto eight games back of the Athletics, who they will face September 14-16 at Tropicana Field.

It’s one of those things where everybody in this clubhouse feels like we have a chance to be in the race and that we’re not out of it yet. So, we’re definitely going for it. And we’re having a lot of fun doing it, Ryan Yarbrough said after the series finale on Sunday.

This should make for a compelling week of baseball as Oakland plays host to the Yankees, who then will face the Mariners, who are also in the Rays’ way. Dare I say let’s go Yankees?

I digress.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

The Blue Jays aren’t an awful team offensively speaking, although the pitching staff leaves a lot to be desired — ranking 12 out of 15 in the American League, and 27 out of 30 overall. Toronto’s hurlers have actually been worse in the month of August, combining for a 5.64 ERA/4.94 FIP/.287 BAA line. Meanwhile, the Rays offense has not hit a lot of homers, although CJ Cron and company have been mightily productive, with the team averaging 4.5 runs per game over the last 14 days.

As they have done all season, it will be incumbent upon the Rays to limit the long-ball, Toronto’s main facet of run production. Also, expect Tampa Bay to put the ball in play, then run all over Russell Martin and Luke Maile.

Pitching Probables

With the exception of Tyler Glasnow (1-4, 3.95 ERA), who is slated to pitch in the finale on Wednesday, Kevin Cash has not set the openers/starters for the first and second games of the series. Even so, Ryne Stanek (2-3, 2.77 ERA) will likely open the game on Monday, while Yonny Chirinos (2-5, 4.05 ERA) should see the most mound time. Jalen Beeks (4-1, 6.08 ERA) will, presumably, pitch the bulk of the innings on Tuesday. John Gibbons will counter with Marcus Stroman (4-8, 5.27 ERA), Sam Gaviglio (2-7, 5.16), and Ryan Borucki (3-3, 4.52 ERA).

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Ryne Stanek worked around a hit with one strikeout in a scoreless inning of work Tuesday as the opener in Atlanta. The right-hander threw seven of 11 pitches for strikes as he faced the minimum three batters in his inning of work, thanks to a caught stealing of Ender Inciarte.

Yonny Chirinos was hit hard following Stanek, tossing five innings and allowing five runs (two earned) on seven hits and three walks. He struck out three in the 81-pitch outing (51 strikes, 63% strike rate, 17/25 first-pitch strikes). Chirinos wasn’t particularly sharp and was on track to take the loss after departing with the Rays trailing 5-4, but Tampa Bay ended up tying the game in the eighth inning to take the right-hander off the hook.

Marcus Stroman threw a bullpen session Saturday and should get the start Monday. Stroman, who landed on the disabled list August 19 with a nagging blister issue, has been dealing with the affliction for much of the season which helps explain his 5.27 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in what amounts to the worst season of his big league career. Stroman spun off one of Toronto’s two wins against the Tampa Bay this season on August 12, limiting the Rays to one run on five hits and a walk. He struck out two. Even So, he is 5-4 with a 4.20 ERA in 12 career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (2-2, RBI), Ji-Man Choi (1-2), CJ Cron (3-8), Matt Duffy (2-7, 2B, 2 BB), Carlos Gomez (2-2, HR, 3 RBI), Joey Wendle (1-2)

Jalen Beeks got the win Wednesday, pitching three shutout — and rain-shortened — innings with two strikeouts while allowing four hits and three walks against Atlanta. An hour and six-minute rain delay limited his outing to just three innings and 49 pitches (26 strikes, 53% strike rate, 9/15 first-pitch strikes) — both of which were season-low totals since joining Tampa Bay — although it was still enough to pick up the win for a third straight outing. The rookie southpaw has a 2.63 ERA with a 2/1 K/BB in 27-1/3 innings since the start of August.

Sam Gaviglio allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out two across 5-2/3 innings on Monday against Baltimore. Gaviglio sailed through the front five scoreless innings before the wheels fell off in the sixth. He gave up a run on a fielder’s choice, which was followed by a three-run blast to cap off the four-run frame. Meanwhile, Toronto’s offense was unable to muster a single run, so the right-hander was hit with his seventh loss of the season. Gaviglio owns a 5.02 ERA and 1.43 WHIP with 92 punch-outs over 100-1/3 innings. He is 1-2 with a 4.61 ERA in three career starts against the Rays, including 0-2 in two starts this season. Key Matchups: Willy Adames (1-3, RBI, BB), Jake Bauers (2-2, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), Ji-Man Choi (1-2, 2B), CJ Cron (1-4), Matt Duffy (2-6), Kevin Kiermaier (1-4), Mallex Smith (2-5, 2B, RBI), Joey Wendle (3-4, 2B, 2 RBI)

Tyler Glasnow was excellent on Friday, throwing seven innings of one-run ball while allowing two hits (including a homer) and one walk on an efficient 76 pitches (56 strikes, 74% strike rate, 19/24 first-pitch strikes). He struck out six.

Glasnow pounded the top of the zone with his upper 90’s four-seam fastball before working over the edges of the plate. Then, he would drop in a low-80s curveball, with 7-to-8 inches of depth, over the heart of the plate, resulting in a good number of taken strikes. On occasion he would drop in a mid-80s slider, that fell right off the table and onto home plate, resulting in a 16.7% SwStr rate. The depth he got on his offspeed stuff was unreal, thanks in part to his release point which mimicked that of his four-seamer.

Ryan Borucki coughed up five runs on eight hits across 4-2/3 innings while striking out two. The rookie was staked to an early four-run lead, yet Baltimore quickly stormed back while an Adam Jones grand slam in the fifth inning helped chase Borucki from the game. He has relied primarily on a heavy sinking 92 mph four-seam fastball and a firm 84 mph changeup with a ton of backspin, while also mixing in a 79 mph slider with exceptional depth and short glove-side cutting movement.

Noteworthiness

— Mallex Smith, who was seen in uniform in the background of a Willy Adames Instagram story yesterday, should be reinstated from the 10-day DL on Monday.

— The Rays made a surprise roster move on Sunday, promoting INF/OF Andrew Velazquez from Triple-A Durham to provide depth at several positions. The move was made in part because CF Kevin Kiermaier remains sidelined due to a sore back and Velazquez can play centerfield.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Velasquez, the Rays put injured RHP Jose Mujica on the big-league roster and then on the 60-day DL.

So why Velazquez over Austin Meadows, the prospect acquired from the Pirates who is tearing it up at Durham? Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) wrote Sunday:

Meadows hasn’t played since Wednesday when he was hit on the left hand in the at-bat after his third homer of the game.

And why Velazquez over Kean Wong, who also plays infield and outfield and is having a great year? Because Velazquez is better and has more experience in center, can play short which Wong doesn’t, is a faster runner which makes him a potential pinch-runner, and is a switch-hitter while Wong is a lefty, of which the Rays have plenty.

Rays 8/28/18 pregame notes, starting lineup

August 28, 2018 By Schmitty Leave a Comment

Michael Perez will get the start behind the plate tonight, batting eighth. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After the first of two previously scheduled off-days this week, the Tampa Bay Rays look to pick up where they left off on Tuesday in Cobb County, where they will begin a brief two-game set against the Braves. Tampa Bay is a season-best nine games over .500 after winning eight games in a row, including a perfect 7-0 homestand, and sweeps of the Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox.

The Braves are the second of three consecutive teams Tampa Bay will face that are leading their division, with Cleveland following Atlanta this weekend. The Rays have struggled against NL teams this season, going 6-12 this year, including a two-game series loss to the Braves at Tropicana Field (May 8-9).

The New What Next

The Rays will use openers for games of the series, with Ryne Stanek (2-3, 2.53 ERA) getting the start this evening. Stanek will be followed by Yonny Chirinos (2-5, 4.08 ERA). They’ll be opposed by Julio Teherán (9-7, 4.09 ERA).

Stanek threw one scoreless inning against the Red Sox on Saturday and is slated to make his 22nd “start” of the season. He’s expected to throw between one and two innings before giving way to Chirinos. Stanek has allowed just two runs over his last 7-2/3 innings of work. The right-hander made his first appearance this year against Atlanta and struck out four while walking two over 1-2/3 scoreless frames.

Chirinos was credited with the win on Wednesday even though he allowed three runs on four hits while striking out four across five innings against the Royals. Ryne Stanek was the “opener” in this one, but it was Chirinos who got the bulk of the innings. The right-hander flat-out dealt for five-plus innings but allowed a costly two-run homer late in the game. At the end of the day, he was credited with his second win of the season, but the three earned runs inflated his ERA from 3.96 to 4.02.

Teherán picked up the win in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh, allowing one run on two hits and a walk over seven innings of work. He struck out five. Teherán has been in a groove of late, delivering three consecutive quality starts while posting a 3.6 K/BB in 20 innings over that stretch. The right-hander blanked the Rays over six innings on May 4, allowing four hits while striking out seven; his lone career start against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: CJ Cron (1-3), Matt Duffy (3-5, 2 2B, BB)