The Tampa Bay Rays kicked off their first road trip of the 2015 season well, recovering from a tough loss Friday by winning the final two games of the Citrus Series, and taking their first series win of the season. Sitting pretty with a .500 record, the Rays make their way to Toronto where they’ll take on the formidable Blue Jays in a four game set.
At 4-2 on the season, Toronto has outscored its previous opponents (Yankees, Orioles) 36-25. Tampa Bay batted .275 and plated 19 runs in the Citrus Series after hitting .202 and scoring nine runs against Baltimore. Asdrubal Cabrera, is batting .355 in his last eight games against Toronto, while Kevin Kiermaier is hitting .361 in 13 career match-ups with the Blue Jays.
Toronto really turned a corner against the Rays last season, posting a winning record against Tampa Bay for the first time since 2006 (11-8, five of those wins came at the Rogers Center). The usual suspects — Jose Reyes, Kevin Pillar, and Edwin Encarnacion — have been productive thus far, while newcomers Justin Smoak and Devon Travis have added to the Toronto hit show. There is a caveat for the Blue jays: Jose Bautista dealt with cramping in his legs this weekend past, Reyes has been dealing with an ailing left oblique — little consolation considering they, along with the stacked lineup, are pretty damn potent.
RA Dickey: Dickey was very good in 6-1/3 innings of work, giving up only a run before the bullpen dropped the ball. The knuckleballer was 2-1 with a 3.15 ERA over his final three starts against the Rays last season. Key match-ups: Asdrubal Cabrera (4-9, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB), Logan Forsythe (3-11, 2 2B, 2 RBI), Evan Longoria (8-30, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 4BB).
Daniel Norris: Colloquially called the Van Man, the 21 year-old left-hander has explosive late life to his fastball with a great finish, making his 92 mph seem more like 96. According to Baseball America, his slider rates average to plus and his change-up flashes plus. Norris also features what has been described as a hammer curve ball that has been described as devastating.
Mark Buehrle: What is there to say about the soft tossing Buehrle that hasn’t already been said? Buehrle chronically throws strikes and induces weak contact. He’s been a thorn in the side of the Rays for many years. Two things bode in the favor of Tampa Bay: 1. The Rays beat up on Buehrle in Spring Training, tagging the righty for three runs on seven hits (including an Evan Longoria homer) in 4-1/3 innings. 2. In an ideal world, facing the soft tossing Dan Haren on Friday may give the team an idea of what’s to come Wednesday night. Key match-ups: Logan Forsythe (6-16, 2 2B, RBI, BB), Brandon Guyer (4-13, 2 2B), Desmond Jennings (9-22, 2B, RBI, 4 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (2-6, RBI), Evan Longoria (12-42, 2 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB).
Aaron Sanchez: Tampa Bay faced the 22 year-old Sanchez over four appearances and 5-2/3 innings last season. The righty comes armed with a high-octane fastball, a plus curveball and a solid change up — an arsenal that could make him a weapon. What he lacks, however, is control. With the exception of his 33 innings with the big league team last season, Sanchez has always had high walk numbers.
Noteworthiness
- As of now, RHP Matt Andriese will make his first major-league start Tuesday in Toronto, with RHP Erasmo Ramirez available to work in relief. That leaves either an open slot for Wednesday, or another group effort could be in play as it is the first day optioned players can be recalled so they can add fresh arms.
- Asdrubal Cabrera is 4-9 with two homers versus Dickey.
- Jake Odorizzi is 1-0 with a 2.37 ERA in three career starts against Toronto, racking up 16 strikeouts in 19 innings with three walks. Bautista is 0-8 with three strikeouts against Odorizzi and the current Toronto roster is a combined 4-37.
- Of injuries… The team is leaning toward having Drew Smyly make a fourth rehab start, which will delay his return until April 29 or later. Kevin Cash told the media they want to make sure Smyly, who is scheduled to make his second rehab start Tuesday, is fully built up. “He feels great, which is a good thing, so we want to make sure we do it right.” Alex Colome performed well in his three-inning rehab start Saturday, and will make another Thursday. Jake McGee is scheduled to throw live batting practice Monday, his potential last session before moving on to extended spring then rehab games. Alex Cobb remains limited to playing catch: “There is not a time frame on him at all,” Cash said.
- Some ding-dong named Ateek (DRaysBay) mentioned six Rays centric things following their first week of play. I’m not sure who he is, but Ateek certainly sounds charming if not dashing. You should probably check out the linked article.