After being forced into a game five situation behind a 5-1 loss to the Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays will look to pull a Mortal Kombat fatality and finish them tonight in the final game of the American League Division Series.
The Rays had collected multiple homers in 10 consecutive games against New York, however, they did not hit a single long ball against four New York pitchers, and was held to just three hits — none of which came after the fourth inning. RAAAAAAAADY Arozarena proved to be a mere mortal in the game, going 0-4 with two strikeouts.
Both teams are expected to use their top pitchers as much as possible.
Tampa Bay will start Tyler Glasnow (5-1, 4.08 ERA) on two days’ rest. The right-hander will be followed by southpaw Blake Snell (4-2, 3.24 ERA). In addition to Glasnow and Snell, Nick Anderson, Pete Fairbanks, and Diego Castillo are all available. Tampa Bay look their hurlers to combine for nine innings in hopes of shutting down the Yankees offense. As Neil Solondz (Rays Radio) put it, “in all likelihood, no Yankees batter will see the same pitcher more than twice, and most would see different pitchers each at-bat.”
As for New York, Aaron Boone will rely on 30-year-old right-hander Gerrit Cole (7-3, 2.84 ERA), who has never pitched on three days rest in his big-league career. The Rays should also expect to see Chad Green, Zack Britton, and Aroldis Chapman. Green threw two scoreless frames last night and would be pitching for the fourth time in five days. It would be the third appearance for Britton, while Chapman was credited with the save last night in his only appearance of the ALDS.
The Rays will be tasked with getting to Cole early. “His 4.19 career first-inning ERA is higher than in any other frame before the seventh,” writes Joe Trezza (MLB.com).
We’re going to have to pick up good at-bats right out of the gate, and get his pitch count up. We’ve seen him. We know him a little better now. We know them and they know us.
— Kevin Cash
Their performance tonight will largely depend on the slumping Brandon Lowe. The southpaw hitting infielder had been the Rays’ best offensive player during the regular season, yet he is just 2-for-23 (.087) this postseason and hitless against New York. He drove in a run on a fielder’s choice and walked on Thursday.
He’s been our best hitter this year. He’s going to get out of it, and it would certainly be nice if it was tomorrow, for sure. He’s the guy we want up there in those spots.
— Kevin Cash
Lowe slashed .269 BA/.362 OBP/.554 SLG/.916 OPS with 14 homers and a 2.3 fWAR during the regular season, and ranks sixth among AL position players in WAR. Yet his slump has been a factor during the ALDS.
Limiting damage will also be key for all the Rays’ hurlers including Glasnow, who allowed all four of his Game Two runs on Giancarlo Stanton home runs.
The New What Next
Tyler Glasnow got the start and allowed four runs on three hits and three walks across five innings. He struck out 10 and threw 93 pitches (62% strike rate, 28% SwStr). The right-hander allowed a fluke leadoff home run to Giancarlo Stanton into the short porch in right in the second inning, then retired the next six batters in a row, collecting three strikeouts in the process. But he got into trouble in the fourth inning after he allowed a leadoff single to Aaron Hicks and a four-pitch walk to Luke Voit. Three pitches later, Stanton blasted a 97 mph four-seam fastball, on the outer third of the plate, into the second deck in left-field — a shot that measured 118 mph off the bat. The right-hander buckled down though and struck out the side after the home run, posting a quiet fifth inning which included two more swinging strikeouts. Glasnow’s night came to an end after he walked Hicks to leadoff the sixth. Aside from the two misplaced pitches against Stanton, Glasnow dominated the Yankees and gave the Rays an opportunity to win the game.
Blake Snell started Monday night’s contest and was undone by a triplet of home runs and poor command. The left-hander allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four across five innings of work. Clint Frazier, Kyle Higashioka, and Aaron Judge all took Snell deep, with the latter two in the fifth inning after the Rays had taken a 3-2 lead. Snell was constantly working from behind and went to three-ball counts to seven different hitters. He could not locate his fastball or his secondary pitches, and as a result, had to rely more on his changeup and curveball which he left in very hittable locations.
Gerrit Cole allowed three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out eight across six innings on Monday, in game one of the ALDS. The ball was flying at the neutral-site location of Petco Park in San Diego — there were six homers in the game, two off Cole. Cole otherwise induced 18 swinging strikes on 97 pitches (60 strikes, 62% strike rate, 30% SwStr). Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (8-12, 3 2B, 3 HR), Manuel Margot (4-16, 2B), Brett Phillips (1-1), Joey Wendle (3-11, 3B)
You can read about the series in our preview, and I’ll post the starting lineup upon availability.
Rays 10/9/20 Starting Lineup
- Meadows RF
- Lowe 2B
- Arozarena LF
- Choi 1B
- Diaz DH
- Wendle 3B
- Adames SS
- Kiermaier CF
- Zunino C