After taking two of three from the Rangers over the weekend, the Tampa Bay Rays make their way to the other Bay Area, where they will start a four-game series against the Athletics on Monday. The A’s swept the Brewers over the weekend.
At 48-20 on the season, the Rays enter play a season high tying 28 games over .500, and 5.5 games up on the second-place Orioles in the division.
Tampa Bay has played well over the last week, winning seven of eight contests while averaging 5.33 runs per game over that stretch; they are averaging 5.75 runs per game overall. The Rays saw an increase in their offensive productivity over the last seven days, slashing a .235 BA/.307 OBP/.425 SLG/.732 OPS line, with a 107 wRC+. And while that is significantly lower than their season averages, the Rays’ pitching staff came up big, allowing just 2.83 runs per game.
And while the Athletics have been the worst team in the game this season, they’ve won four of their last five contests. Granted Oakland is averaging 3.59 runs per game, and their .224 batting average is 29th in the league overall, however, over the last week they’ve put up a healthy .284 BA/.396 OBP/.471 SLG/.867 OPS slash line, with a 150 wRC+ over the last seven days.
Tampa Bay’s pitching staff has been one of the best in the league, with the team surrendering 3.70 runs per game. Opponents have a .225 batting average against the Rays, which is third in the league. Meanwhile, their combined 3.58 ERA (and 4.07 FIP) is also third, as is their 1.21 WHIP. The bullpen is getting back to where we all expect it to be, maintaining a 2.87 ERA and a 4.21 FIP over the last 14 days, with a 1.23 WHIP, and a 2.00 K/BB.
On the other hand, Oakland’s pitching hasn’t been very good, with the team serving up 6.56 runs per game. Opponents have a healthy .274 batting average against the Athletics, while their 6.40 ERA (and 5.67 FIP) is 30th, as is their 1.60 WHIP.
The Rays are 3-0 against the Athletics this season and have outscored them 31-5.
Pitching Probables
Over the next four days, Kevin Cash will turn to Zach Eflin (8-1, 2.97 ERA, 3.55 FIP), Yonny Chirinos (3-1, 2.60 ERA, 4.57 FIP), Tyler Glasnow (1-0, 2.87 ERA, 3.72 FIP), and Taj Bradley (4-3, 4.19 ERA, 2.94 FIP). Mark Kotsay will counter with Jamie Kaprielian (1-6, 7.21 ERA, 5.77 FIP), Hogan Harris (1-0, 6.46 ERA, 4.51 FIP), Luis Medina (1-5, 7.53 ERA, 6.65 FIP), and Paul Blackburn (0-0, 3.60 ERA, 3.27 FIP)
Zach Eflin allowed three hits and a walk over 6.2 scoreless innings against Minnesota on Tuesday. He struck out nine. The Twins had no answer for Eflin, who logged nine or more strikeouts for the third time this season. The right-hander improved to 7-0 at the Trop, with a 1.85 ERA while pitching to a 5.09 ERA on the road. Overall, his ERA and FIP sit at an impressive 2.97 and 3.55 FIP (respectively), with a 0.96 WHIP, and 7.33 K/BB through 11 starts (66.2 frames). Eflin is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in two career starts against the Athletics.
James Kaprielian allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and five walks over six innings against the Pirates on Tuesday. He struck out one. Kaprielian matched his season best in earned runs allowed as a starter but also set a season low with just one punchy. Through eight starts this year he has a 6.59 ERA and a 5.77 FIP, with a 1.44 K/BB, and a 1.76 WHIP across 42 innings. In his last start against Tampa Bay, Kaprielian surrendered seven runs on seven hits including three homers over 4.2 innings.
Yonny Chirinos allowed one run on five hits over 5.2 innings against Minnesota on Thursday. He struck out four and did not walk a batter. Chirinos was steady over 5.2 frames with the exception of a leadoff homer he surrendered to Carlos Correa in the fourth after hanging a slider in the middle of the zone. He followed up that mistake with back-to-back punchouts and would allow only one more hitter to reach base before being relieved by Jake Diekman in the sixth. The right-hander posted a season-high four strikeouts and did not walk a batter for the first time since April 29. Overall, Chirinos maintains a 2.60 ERA and a 4.57 FIP on the season, with a 0.95 WHIP, and a 1.36 K/BB across 34.2 innings. He is 0-0 with a 3.63 ERA in three career outings (two starts) against the Athletics.
Hogan Harris allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over five innings against the Pirates. He struck out two. It wasn’t a dominant outing from the hurler, although he did enough to earn his first career win after the A’s jumped out to a seven-run lead. After a rough debut in April, Harris has pitched to a 3.00 ERA in three outings (15 innings) since he was recalled from Triple-A. Overall, he maintains a 6.46 ERA and a 4.51 FIP, with a 1.30 WHIP, and a 1.33 K/BB over 15.1 innings. Harris relies primarily on a whiffy 93 mph fourseam fastball, while also mixing in an 80 mph changeup that has slight arm-side fade, a 91 mph cutter that has good “rise”, and a 76 mph worm-killer curveball that has exceptional bite. He has never faced the Rays.
Tyler Glasnow allowed one run on one hit and three walks over six innings against Texas on Friday. He struck out six on 84 pitches (55 strikes, 65% strike rate). The only hit Glasnow allowed was a solo shot, as he cruised through a season-high six innings en route to his first win. The right-hander is still ramping up after missing the first two months of the 2023 campaign, although he’s been relatively sharp across his first three turns, posting a 2.87 ERA and a 3.72 FIP, with a 1.09 WHIP. The right-hander has walked six batters over his past two starts, and while he’s been able to limit the damage, his command is certainly something to watch moving forward. Glasnow is 1-1 with a 2.13 ERA in two career starts against Oakland.
Luis Medina allowed two runs on three hits and three walks over five innings Friday, striking out six against the Brewers. Coming in after opener Sam Moll’s scoreless first frame, Medina allowed two runs in the second followed by four shutout innings. The two runs were the fewest given up by Medina in any outing this season. He now holds a 7.53 ERA and a 6.65 FIP, with a 1.88 K/BB through 34.2 innings. Medina relies primarily on a 96 mph fourseam fastball that has some natural sinking action, while also mixing in a whiffy 85 mph slider that has some two-plane movement, an 80 mph swing-and-miss curveball that has a sharp downward bite, and a firm 88 mph worm-killer changeup that has slight arm-side fade. He has never faced the Rays.
Taj Bradley allowed five runs (four earned) on four hits and four walks while striking out four batters over 3.2 innings on Saturday. This was the shortest outing through eight big-league starts for Bradley, who came into the contest having allowed just two earned runs over his previous 10.2 frames. The right-hander was largely responsible for his own demise Saturday, as he walked a season-high four batters, three of whom came around to score.
In all fairness, though, home plate umpire Carlos Torres’ strike zone was hot, wet trash on Saturday. And hadn’t he called two second-inning strikeouts walks instead, we may not be talking about the damage against the right-hander. At any rate, Bradley issued just five free passes across his first 30 innings, but he’s walked seven over his subsequent 8.2 frames. Overall, he maintains a 4.19 ERA and a 2.94 FIP, with a 1.27 WHIP, and a 4.33 K/BB on the season.
Paul Blackburn allowed four hits and one walk over six scoreless innings against Milwaukee. He struck out five. Blackburn completed a season-high six innings and notched his first scoreless outing of the season. The 29-year-old’s 2023 debut was delayed due to a finger injury, so he’s made only three starts thus far with mixed results. He held Atlanta’s offense to just one run on four hits over four innings and struck out a season-high six, but he fell flat versus Miami, giving up five runs with a 1.5 K/BB across five innings. Overall, he maintains a 3.60 ERA and a 3.27 FIP, with a 1.33 WHIP, and a 2.80 K/BB across 15.0 innings. Blackburn relies primarily on a 92 mph sinker, while also mixing in an 87 mph cutter that has heavy sink and extreme cutting action, a whiffy 92 mph fourseam fastball that has some natural sinking action, a 79 mph 12-6 curveball that has exceptional bite, an 80 mph slider that sweeps across the zone, and an 86 mph changeup that has some natural sink to it. He is 1-0 with a 2.86 ERA in two career starts against the Rays.
Noteworthiness
— On Sunday, the Rays recalled right-hander Ryan Thompson from Triple-A Durham, and optioned left-hander José Lopez as the corresponding move. Thompson put up a 2.25 ERA and a 1.80 FIP across 4.0 innings in Durham, with a 6.75 K/BB and a 1.25 WHIP.
The Music That Influenced This Preview
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