After dropping the two post-All-Star Break series, versus Kansas City and Baltimore respectively, the Tampa Bay Rays look to turn their fortune around this weekend, when they welcome the Guardians into the Trop for a three-game set. Cleveland is coming off a series split with Boston.
At 53-46 on the season, the Rays enter play seven games above .500, having lost five of their last seven games. Meanwhile, the Guardians are two games above .500 and 6-4 over their last 10 games.
The Rays appear to be buckling under the strain of so many injuries. With two everyday players out for the season with injury, their most consistent hitter — Harold Ramirez — on the shelf due to a broken thumb, and Wander Franco out for the short-term after wrist surgery, Tampa Bay is finding it hard to score runs. To be clear, the team is getting runners on the bags, with Tampa Bay slashing .250 BA/.317 OBP/.318 BABIP/.307 wOBA in the second half of the season. However, it has been nearly impossible to get the all-important big hits when the opportunities have arisen with the exception of Randy Arozarena’s two-RBI double in the top of the 10th inning of Wednesday’s contest. Aside from that, though, the Rays went 3-for-35 wRISP against Baltimore after going 6-for-23 against Kansas City — a respectable .261 wRISP batting average in comparison.
If anything, this poor spate of play illustrates the reason the Rays need to acquire some bats before the trade deadline. I digress.
The Guardians continue to defy the odds and remain very much in the AL Central Division race as the season pushes towards the trade deadline. The bats are doing the damage over this stretch, hitting .301 BA/.343 OBP/.448 SLG/.791 OPS over the last week of play. The Guardians are averaging 5.8 runs over the last 10 games and have slugged 11 home runs.
The Rays pitching staff will be tasked with slowing down José Ramírez and company, which they are plenty capable of doing. The question begs, however, can they get those big hits when the opportunities arise? That fails to be seen.
Tampa Bay went 6-1 against Cleveland last season, outscoring the Guardians by a +23 run differential.
Pitching Probables
Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will turn to Jeffrey Springs (3-2, 2.50 ), Corey Kluber (6-6, 3.91 ERA), and Shane McClanahan (10-3, 1.76 ERA). Terry Francona will counter with Shane Bieber (4-6, 3.55 ERA), Zach Plesac (2-8, 4.09 ERA), and a pitcher to be named before the series finale.
Jeffrey Springs allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits over 4.1 innings on Sunday against the Royals. He struck out two. Springs returned from the Injured List and showed signs of rust early, coughing up an RBI single to Bobby Witt in the first inning followed by an RBI sacrifice fly to Nick Pratto in the second. But, he kept Kansas City off the board in the final 2.1 innings of his outing and lowered his season ERA to 2.50, and his FIP to 3.58, with a 4.8 K/BB, and a 1.10 WHIP through 68.1 frames. However, over his last four starts, he’s posted a 5.30 ERA across 18.2 innings. Springs is 0-0 with a 3.38 ERA in two career outings (2.2 innings) against Cleveland.
Shane Bieber allowed six runs on eight hits and a walk over six innings on Sunday against the White Sox. He struck out four. All six runs against Bieber came via the long ball; he coughed up home runs to Leury Garcia and AJ Pollock in the second inning before serving up a solo shot to Eloy Jimenez in the sixth. It was the second time in his last three starts in which he yielded five runs or more, bumping his season ERA from 3.16 to 3.55 during that span. Overall, he maintains a 3.07 FIP to go along with the aforementioned ERA, with a 1.15 WHIP, and a 4.23 K/BB across 111.2 innings. The right-hander relies primarily on an 85 mph 12-6 slider, and a 91 mph four-seam fastball, while also mixing in a hard 82 mph curveball that has a sharp downward bite, and an 87 mph worm-killer cutter that has some natural sink. Bieber is 1-2 with a 3.09 ERA in four career starts against the Rays. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (4-10, 2 2B, 2 BB), Isaac Paredes (1-3, 2B), Brett Phillips (1-2)
Corey Kluber got the start against the Orioles and after hurling four innings of one-run ball, the right-hander imploded. Ryan McKenna led off the fifth with an 0-2 single to centerfield. After Jonathan Arauz struck out on three pitches, Cedric Mullins came up with a bunt hit, while Adley Rutschman was hit with a back-foot-breaking ball to load the bases. Ryan Mountcastle followed with a two-RBI single to center, while Anthony Santander proceeded to hit a sharply hit grounder to Ji Man Choi at first. Choi threw to second, in order to start a double play, yet his errant throw hit Mountcastle in the back and bounded away from Taylor Walls, allowing Rutschman to cross the plate. Then, with a pair of runners in scoring position, Austin Hays hit a sac-fly to left, capping the rally. All told, Kluber allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits, a walk, and a hit batsman on 86 pitches (66 strikes, 77% strike rate) across five innings. He struck out two. Overall, Kluber maintains a 3.91 ERA and 3.44 FIP, with a 5.25 K/BB, and a 1.14 WHIP across 99.0 innings. He is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in one career start against his former team.
Zach Plesac allowed three runs on three hits and three walks over five innings on Monday against Boston. He struck out four. Plesac gave up just one run through the first five frames before he was charged with two more in the sixth without recording an out in the inning. He’s now 0-4 over his last eight starts despite a respectable 3.30 ERA over that stretch. Overall, he owns a 4.09 ERA and a 4.18 FIP through 99 innings, with a 1.26 WHIP, and a 2.77 K/BB. The right-hander relies primarily on a 92 mph four-seam fastball that has some added backspin, an 85 mph 12-6 slider, and a firm 86 mph changeup, while also mixing in an 80 mph 12-6 curveball. Plesac is 0-1 with a 6.17 ERA in two career starts against the Rays. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (1-3, RBI), Christian Bethancourt (1-3, RBI), Ji-Man Choi (2-6, HR, RBI), Brandon Lowe (1-3, 2B, BB), Isaac Paredes (1-3)
Shane McClanahan tossed seven innings, giving up two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out seven against the Orioles on Tuesday. McClanahan was able to limit the Orioles to just three baserunners in Tuesday’s outing, but both of the hits he surrendered were solo homers. Cedric Mullins launched a leadoff homer on the first pitch of the game and Anthony Santander took him deep in the fourth. The two long balls matched the total that McClanahan had allowed over his five prior starts combined. On the bright side, the 25-year-old extended his quality start streak to a remarkable 13 consecutive turns, and he now owns a 1.76 ERA and a 2.59 FIP, with a 0.77 WHIP, and a 7.70 K/BB with 154 punchouts over 117.2 frames (19 starts) this season.
TBA