As it was written elsewhere, sixty-nine games in and the Rays’ heavily touted starters from Chris Archer down have yet to pitch consistently or concurrently well; key parts of their bullpen appear to be worn out; and their homer-heavy, all-or-nothing, already depleted lineup just lost its most consistent hitter as they go through the most rugged part of their schedule with no help coming from the outside.
We’ll continue to try to find a way to piece it together, Kevin Cash said following the loss.
Unfortunately staying the course and waiting things out hasn’t worked thus far, and drastic times call for drastic measures.
I’m not sure the Rays would benefit from a reunion with Carl Crawford. Even though he had his greatest success with Tampa Bay as an offensive and defensive dynamo, he hasn’t been the same since signing the seven-year, $142-million deal with Boston. His eroded legs have sapped Crawford of speed and agility. Besides, CC didn’t enjoy playing on turf and he might avoid a reunion for that reason.
Still something — anything — to spark a fire needs to be done.
Maybe Tampa Bay should consider a two-level promotion of 1B/OF Jake Bauers. Bauers has played 66 games for Double-A Montgomery, and is slashing .278 BA/.369 OBP/.407 SLG/.776 OPS/.366 wOBA with six homers and five steals in 288 plate appearances. Then again, while a prospect’s ability is tested against competition that can also list “future big leaguer” in Double-A, it’s the level where weaknesses are often uncovered. The hole in a batter’s swing will surely be exploited in the bigs. Perhaps a promotion would be jumping the shark a bit.
Maybe the team should consider stint on the DL for Erasmo Ramirez, who seems incredibly fatigued. In the very least it might be a good idea to shift Ramirez into lower leverage role while he works things out.
Don’t even get me started on Steve Geltz, the reliever who shouldn’t have broken camp with the team after Spring Training.
Maybe they should recall Richie Shaffer. The infielder does have experience at the Major League level, however, he is in the thick of a power outage. And while his .241 BA/.331 OBP/.325 BABIP is better than a fair number of players on the Rays active roster, his .357 SLG, .116 ISO and five homers at Triple-A don’t inspire much confidence.
Whatever the case, this season is on the precipice of slipping away. I firmly believe the Rays can be successful if they perform to their pre-season projections — injuries and all. However, something needs to be done before they become sellers at the trade deadline.
The New What Next
The Rays look to end their skid on Wednesday when Chris Archer takes the mound opposite of Trevor Bauer. First innings have been trouble for Archer, who has a 9.60 ERA in the first and 3.68 ERA after. A 2006 draft pick by Cleveland, Archer is 0-4 with a 4.91 ERA in four starts against the Indians. Bauer moved from the bullpen to the rotation in late April, where he holds a 3-2 record, with a 3.23 ERA in 10 starts. He is coming off a solid start against the ChiSox; he lost his only start to Rays in April 2013. You can read about the pitching matchup in our series preview.
Rays 6/22/16 Starting Lineup
Forsythe DH
Miller SS
Longoria 3B
Morrison 1B
Jennings CF
Dickerson LF
Motter RF
Franklin 2B
Casali C
Archer RHP
Noteworthiness
— Remember Will Myers, the aloof outfielder who the Rays traded to the Padres before the 2015 season? He’s having a breakout season and might be made available on the trade market. Hmm…
— Mikie Mahtook (left hand fracture) was examined by team orthopedist Dr. Doug Carlan in St. Petersburg on Monday. The prognosis? Mahtook did not have any displaced bones in his left hand and won’t require surgery, meaning he could be back in as soon as six weeks.
— The Rays announced that RHP Matt Andriese will make a start in Saturday’s doubleheader, with RHP Jake Odorizzi making the other.
— The team also announced the promotion of Jake Faria to Triple-A Durham. One can’t help but wonder if this is foreshadowing an active roster move at some point this season. On the other hand, if you’re like Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) the promotion can be viewed through a different set of lenses; Faria spent a half a year in Double-A in 2015, and another half this season. He performed well enough to earn the next step after full year there.