The BABIP luck dragons nipped at the heels of Erasmo Ramirez in the third inning of last night’s game, culminating in a not-so luck dragon Chris Davis grand slam. First JJ Hardy reached on a soft liner up the middle that was hit off the end of his bat, then Kevin Kiermaier couldn’t hang onto a single by Johnathan Schoop — two of the three hits that set up Davis’ slam.
There will not be an in-depth game recap today, rather all I will say is this: had the home plate umpire called Erasmo’s 1-2 belt high fastball a strike instead of a ball, Davis would have struck out looking for the second out of the inning. And since Manny Machado grounded to third three pitches later, the Orioles wouldn’t have put up a four run frame.
Brooks Baseball called the fateful pitch just above of the zone, although FoxTrax liked it. Whatever the case, it was a borderline pitch that Davis sat on to the peril of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Moving forward.
The New What Next
Matt Moore (1-1, 7.23 ERA) will take the mound in the series finale against fellow lefty Wei-Yin Chen. In eight career appearances (seven starts) against Baltimore, Moore is 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA. He, however, allowed a career-high 12 hits and nine runs against them in his most recent outing versus the Orioles. Chen has been the ace of Baltimore’s staff and is 4-2 with a 2.86 ERA on the season. You can read about the pitching matchup in our series preview.
Rays 7/26/15 Starting Lineup
Guyer CF
Souza RF
Longoria DH
Forsythe 2B
Butler LF
Loney 1B
Beckham SS
Elmore 3b
Casali C
Moore LHP
Noteworthiness
— Drew Smyly is scheduled to begin his rehabilitation assignment tonight for Triple-A Durham at Norfolk (Orioles). The 26 year-old lefty is scheduled to throw three innings, or about 45 pitches, in his first game since May 5.
It’s not clear when the team will activate Smyly from the disabled list — the Rays aren’t putting a timetable on his return to the roster.
It should be assumed that Smyly will make multiple rehab starts, potentially four. Manager Kevin Cash told Matt Baker (Tampa Bay Times) that the team will have to balance his ability to contribute with the health of the bullpen, which will have to account for a starter who’s still regaining his strength:
To have a guy come back that’s not totally stretched out can make it a little difficult.
— Speaking of injuries, might this be a good omen?
SS Asdrubal Cabrera says he’s feeling well. Will run and do agility work today, then reassess. Expects to return in the Tigers series. #Rays
— Matt Baker (@MBakerTBTimes) July 26, 2015
— We discussed the Rays at the trade deadline on Friday. Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) expanded on the subject in his most recent Rays Tales column.