After a sloppy four-game series against the Athletics, in which Tampa Bay took just one game, the Rays look to get back on the winning side of the ledger on the south side of Chicago when they start a three-game set against the White Sox on Friday. The White Sox took two-of-three from Seattle in their previous series but dropped the finale on Thursday.
Despite going 10-for-34 (.294 wRISP BA) against the Athletics, Tampa Bay struggled this past week. While they scored 16 runs total and averaged four runs per game, nine of those runs came in the Rays’ lone win on Tuesday. The pitching staff and defense were sloppy at best, allowing 15 two-out runs (out of 31 total runs), while the offense couldn’t score runs at the opportune times. Even so, Tampa Bay pitchers struck out 79 batters, a franchise record through seven games, while the team’s hitters fanned just 58 times over that stretch.
Meanwhile, the White Sox have gotten off to a nice start to the season with back-to-back series wins over Detroit and Seattle. Chicago boasts a formidable lineup that, in 2021, finished seventh in the league in runs scored and fifth in batting average. Several key players — such as Luis Robert, Andrew Vaughn, and Tim Anderson — are off to fast starts. For his part, Tim Anderson has been, well … Tim Anderson, hitting .471 albeit across a limited number of plate appearances.
Thus far, Tampa Bay has been a more productive team than Chicago, performing to a 114 wRC+ vs. a 104 wRC+. Yet, Chicago’s sub .300 BABIP (.270 to be specific) speaks to a White Sox team that has faced some bad luck. Suffice it to say, the South Siders are fully capable of putting runs on the board. To that point, however, so are the Rays.
For what it’s worth, Tampa Bay had expected batting averages higher than the Athletics in two of the three games they lost — .243 xBA on Wednesday and .314 xBA on Thursday. The Rays’ hits found gloves, while their shotty defense and pitching at home resulted in opposing hits that found holes.
The Rays split the season series against the White Sox in 2021, three games apiece.
Pitching Probables
Over the next three days, Kevin Cash will turn to Drew Rasmussen (0-0, 4.50 ERA), Corey Kluber (0-0, 2.25 ERA), and potentially Tommy Romero (0-0, 13.20 ERA). Tony La Russa will counter with Dylan Cease (1-0, 1.80 ERA), Michael Kopech (0-0, 2.25 ERA), and Vince Velasquez (0-0, 2.25 ERA)
Drew Rasmussen got the start in the second game of the season and tossed four solid innings of two-run ball on three hits and a walk while striking out three. All the damage against Rasmussen came off of the bat of Ryan Mountcastle, who launched a first-pitch hanging slider into the first row of the right-field seats for a two-run shot in the third inning. He departed after the fourth inning at 64 pitches 41 strikes, 64% strike rate).
Rasmussen mixed his pitches well, which included his new slider which he worked on during the off-season and Spring Training. The aforementioned pitch has at least 13 inches of glove-side movement as compared to his standard slider which averaged around four inches.
On top of that, he also leaned on a 95-96 mph cutter with 20 inches of vertical movement which, frankly, is a little unfair.
Aside from one misplaced slider, it was a strong season debut for the 26-year-old who performed to a 4-1 record with a 2.84 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 35 appearances and 10 starts between the Brewers and Rays last season.
Dylan Cease surrendered one run on two hits and three walks while striking out eight across five innings on Saturday. Cease was effective in his season debut, limiting the Tigers to just five baserunners while whiffing eight batters. He was pulled after allowing a single to Austin Meadows to open the sixth inning; Meadows later scored in the frame. After performing to a 3.91 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 32 starts with a 12.3 K/9 a season ago, it would appear he is picking up where he left off. He relies primarily on a whiffy 85 mph slider with exceptional depth and a 97 mph four-seam fastball with added backspin, while also mixing in a 78 mph 12-6 curveball. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA in one career start against the Rays (5 IP). Key Matchup: Harold Ramirez (2-4, 2 RBI)
Corey Kluber allowed three hits and four walks over 4.2 shutout innings on Sunday. Kluber was one out away from finishing the fifth inning and earning a win in his debut with the Rays before walking Cedric Mullins and yielding a single to Ryan Mountcastle. He tossed 52 of 87 pitches for strikes (60% strike rate) and coaxed 12 whiffs (23% SwStr). While the four walks were uncharacteristic for the right-hander, it was a solid outing to build off from. Kluber posted a 3.83 ERA across 80 frames in the Bronx last season. Over his career, Kluber is 13-5 with a 2.96 ERA across 25 games (24 starts).
Michael Kopech allowed one run on two hits and two walks over four innings on Sunday against the Tigers. He struck out three. Kopech coughed up an RBI triple to Victor Reyes in the second inning but kept the Tigers off the board otherwise. It should be noted that he hadn’t thrown more than five innings in a single outing last season. He relies primarily on a 97 mph four-seam fastball that generates a high number of swings and misses and an 84 mph slider that has exceptional depth and short glove-side cut.
Tommy Romero allowed three runs on two hits and five walks across 1.2 frames on Tuesday against the Athletics. He had one strikeout. All the damage was done on a hanging slider that found its way out of the field of play. The 5/1 BB/K was also uncharacteristic for a rookie hurler who, over his career, had performed to a 4/1 K/BB. The wildness was something of a surprise for Romero. He posted an 8-2 record in the minors last season with a 2.61 ERA. Baseball America ranked called him the No. 21 prospect in Tampa Bay’s organization and that him as having the ”best control” in the organization. Chalk it up to nerves for the right-hander.
Vince Velasquez allowed one run on two hits and three walks over four innings on Tuesday against the Mariners. He struck out two. The 29-year-old was targeting four innings for his White Sox debut Tuesday, and he covered exactly that with only 62 pitches. He surrendered a solo home run to Eugenio Suarez in the second inning but otherwise held down Seattle, although he did have some control issues with three walks. It was a strong start for the right-hander who should remain a part of Chicago’s starting rotation for the foreseeable future with Lance Lynn (knee) and Lucas Giolito (abdomen) on the Injured List. He relies primarily on a whiffy 94 mph four-seam fastball and a fly-ball inducing 85 mph slider, while also mixing in a 92 mph sinker and an 89 mph hard changeup. Velasquez is 0-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Randy Arozarena (2-3, 2B), Francisco Mejia (1-2, 3B, RBI, BB), Brett Phillips (1-1, RBI, BB), Harold Ramirez (2-6, HR, 3 RBI, BB)