Rays vs. Jays, 5/22/12 (Lineup Included)

Posted: May 22, 2012 by Schmitty in Tampa Bay Rays, Uncategorized
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Tampa Bay Rays starting lineup:

Pena 1B
Upton CF
Joyce LF
Zobrist RF
Scott DH
Rodriguez 3B
Sutton 2B
Gimenez C
Johnson SS
Moore LHP

Tampa Bay (25-18) enters tonight’s game against the Blue Jays two full games behind the first place Orioles. Matt Moore (1-4, 5.20 ERA) will take the mound against sinker-baller Andrew Hutchinson (3-1, 4.81 ERA) as he attempts to carry the success of the final four innings of his last start, into tonight. The Rays are depending on a big start from Moore, if their anemic offense has any hope of faring well against the Jays

At the moment, Tampa Bay has committed 38 errors through 43 games. That’s the most since the ’07 season. The Rays are on a current pace for team record 143 errors. All this from a pitching/fielding team. Yikes. Blame the errors on what you will. But the fact of the matter stands, with the exception of the three games that Thompson and Allen have started, as well as the games that Rhymes has played, the Rays defense is fairly adept in the positions they’re covering, be them their normal positions or otherwise. They’re really shouldn’t be any reasons that the Rays are performing at this low level.

To be fair, the pitching has been there, but the fielding and offense have not. Compound that with the fact that Rays have scored, on average, 2.71 runs per game in the last seven games. They’ve now faced at least three teams that are scoring 4.5 plus runs per game, over the course of this home stand, and going back into the road trip prior. Too many errors and not enough runs will sink a team, and the proof is in the pudding; the Rays are now 4-6 in their last 10 games.

Upton, Joyce, Rodriguez, and Rhymes have really carried this team in the last seven games, scoring a combined 14 runs. Yet, the players that need to be driving in those runs have not done so at an efficient clip. That is in the last seven games at least. To their credit, Zobrist and Pena have gotten on base and worked good counts. However, they’ve only driven in RBI between the two of them.

They’re facing (sigh…) yet, another, sinker baller tonight. Don’t let Hutchinson’s relatively high ERA deceive you, he has gotten better as the season’s progressed. In fact, he’s 2-0 in his last two start, having given up only two runs in his last 12 innings of work. Drabek gave up six walks last night. Yet of the eight Rays baserunners, only three had hits. The Rays were able to force him into at least six three ball counts which is a good thing. Stranding eight base runners, and going 1-6 with runners in scoring position, is not.

They’ll need to attack Hutchinson in the same manner tonight. As a sinker-baller that likes to paint the corners (see the graphs below), it will be incumbant on the Rays to work the count; force him to pitch in their zone. Look at the bright side, at least Joe West won’t be calling the balls and strikes! I’ll tack the starting lineup on to this when it’s released.

Against left handed hitters (Courtesy of Brooksbaseball.net)

Location of pitch by type against left handed hitters (Courtesy of Brooksbaseball.net)

Against right handed hitters (Courtesy of Brooksbaseball.net)

Location of pitch by type against right handed hitters (Courtesy of Brooksbaseball.net)

Rays vs. Jays, 5/21/12

Posted: May 21, 2012 by Schmitty in Tampa Bay Rays, Uncategorized
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Tampa Bay enters this upcoming series against the Blue Jays with a 25-17 record, eight games over .500 and two full games back of the Orioles. The Rays are 4-1 so far against the Blue Jays and will need to take at least two games from the Jays in order to march into Boston on a wave of momentum. To be honest, with 12 players on the DL, I have absolutely no clue how Boston is surging. However, Boston is 8-2 in their last 10 games as they prepare to take on the number one team in the AL East, the Orioles.

Jeremy Hellickson (4-0, 2.77 ERA) will take the mound for the Rays as they attempt to put an end to both their sloppy fieldwork, and their seeming inability to drive in runners in scoring position. Helly had a quality outing his last time on the mound, giving up only one run on five hits, while walking two, and striking out six, in six innings of work. He’s still cracked the 7-IP mark only twice this season, and we’re all well aware of his battles with efficiency and the inning to inning pitch count. Pitching coach, Jim Hickey, has mentioned on a few different occasions that Hellickson is at his best when he’s throwing 15-20 pitches per inning. One has to wonder if he’s trying to compensate for what has been some fairly sloppy play (by Rays standards) behind him. That’s a reasonable question to ask when you consider that Helly has a FIP of 4.78, 34 points higher than his 2011 season average. Then again, he’s one or two runs off of the mark where he was at this point last season with concerns to earned runs. Or maybe his early season fidgeting with a newly found cutter had more of an effect on his inning to inning efficiency.

Kyle Drabek (3-4, 3.30 ERA) takes the mound for the Blue Jays. Only six Rays have official at-bats against Drabek: Chris Gimenez (1-2, BB), Matt Joyce (0-2), Sean Rodriguez (1-3), Luke Scott (1-3), BJ Upton (0-3), and Ben Zobrist (1-2). They’re hitting a combined .200 BA against Drabek. I’m not certain if that’s a large enough sample size to say whether the Rays will be able to knock him all over the place or not.

Against righties, Drabek tends to pound the inside corner with an 88-95 MPH fastball. He also tends to pound the middle to the inside of the plate with his curveball. Conversely, he tends to pound the inside corner with his change-up and slider against lefties (see the pitch f/x below). From a purely numbers-only (runs, hits, homers, etc) perspective, Drabek is similar to Hellickson. Do what you will with that information.

Drabek by pitch type against righties (courtesy of Brooksbaseball.net)

Drabek by pitch type against lefties (courtesy of Brooksbaseball.net)

Rays Starting Lineup (5/21/12):

Zobrist RF

Upton CF

Joyce LF

Pena 1B

Scott DH

Rodriguez 3B

Rhymes 2B

Johnson SS

Molina C

Hellickson RHP

Of note: see the “Of Injuries and Acquisitions” thread for updated information on Keppinger as well as the latest Rays acquisition.

Braves Take the Series; Hand Rays A 2-0 Loss

Posted: May 20, 2012 by Schmitty in Tampa Bay Rays, Uncategorized
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Tampa Bay dropped the series, and got shut out for the first time this season, 2-0, at the hands of the Atlanta Braves. Tampa Bay is now 2-4 in intraleague play against the Braves since 2010.

Though Price had a solid start posting a 7 IP/6 H/2 R (1 ER)/3 BB/7 K line, he still got the loss. Price is now 6-2 with a 3.10 ERA on the season. Blame the loss on lack of offense, exacerbated by a gem of a start by Tim Hudson. Price threw a career high 123 pitches on the day.

Tampa Bay ended the day stranding eight men on the bags, while going 1-4 with runners in scoring position. “1-4 and a shut out, you may ask?!” Chalk it up to bad luck. Luke Scott hit a bases loaded ground ball destined for right field which happened to hit Carlos Pena while he made his way to second. The Rays also had men on the bags in the sixth with two outs, however Pena’s blast to center couldn’t quite make it over the wall, presumably because the game wasn’t sold out.

More on this in a little.

Rays vs. Braves, 5/20/12 (Starting Lineup Included)

Posted: May 20, 2012 by Schmitty in Tampa Bay Rays, Uncategorized
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Update: A tweet from Joe Smith of the Times gives a little clarity into why Keppinger isn’t in the lineup today. “Heard #Rays Keppinger got hit in foot by foul ball yesterday – while by dugout railing. If true, add it to list of weird Rays injuries.” D’oh.

Tampa Bay Rays’ Matt Joyce, center, high-fives teammates Chris Gimenez, left, and Elliot Johnson after hitting a third-inning grand slam off Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Randall Delgado during an interleague baseball game on Saturday, May 19, 2012, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Braves catcher Brian McCann, background left, looks on. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Talk about a good game yesterday! Matt Joyce had grand slam to dead center (cough, I guess that was because 25,000+ fans were in the stands) and Sean-Rod smacked a one run dinger to left field. Both homer’s accounted for the five Ray runs. I’m still not a fan of a five spot in the LOB column, as well as going 1-5 with RISP. But ultimately, I can’t complain since a very good Braves team had the same stats in the LOB/RLISP columns.

What can I say about the pitching besides wow! Alex Cobb posted a 7 IP/6 H/2 E/2 BB/6 K line on 113 pitches and received his first W of the season. Cobb and the pen Tampa Bay’s retired the last 16 batters in a row. All this in front of a good sized crowd of 27,433.

Onward to today. Tim Hudson (2-1, 3.96 ERA) gets the start against David Price (6-2, 3.10 ERA) in the rubber match of this three game set. Hudson is yet another sinkerball pitcher in the Braves starting rotation. Leaning primarily on his Sinkerball, fastball, and slider, Hudson has given up only one home run in 25 innings of work. Yet, he is prone to keep the ball up in the zone (see pitch f/x graphs below) and has been knocked around this season; most notably on the fourth of May when he gave up six runs on six hits and three walks in six innings of work. Whether this makes him the devil is unknown at the moment. Nevertheless, the Rays hitters will need to approach the plate similarly to way they did yesterday: work the count, and force Hudson to pitch in the zone.

Tim Hudson against lefties by pitch type (Courtesy of Brooksbaseball.net)

Tim Hudson against righties by pitch type (Courtesy of Brooksbaseball.net)

Price is 3-0 with an ERA under 3 at home this season. Incidentally, his two longest starts of the season have been at home as well. That is to say, he’s owned this season…but he’s REALLY owned at home. Price looks to give the, 5-5 in their last ten games, Rays a solid start, helping them win their first intraleague series of the season. A win would put Tampa Bay on more stable ground going into the upcoming series against the Jays.

The starting lineup is below. I’m rather surprised that Jeff Keppinger, who’s a career .517 hitter against Hudson, isn’t in the lineup. Then again, Sean-Rod and Elliot Johnson are red hot at the moment, so I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised. As always, Let’s Go Rays

Rays (25-16) starting lineup (Courtesy of Rotoinfo.com)

Of Injuries and Acquisitions (Sigh, Updated Again 5/21/12)

Posted: May 20, 2012 by Schmitty in Tampa Bay Rays, Uncategorized
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Keppinger update: Kepp has been added to the 15-day DL with a broken right big toe. Tampa Bays newest acquisition INF, Drew Sutton, has been activated and will fill Kepp’s spot on the roster. See below for who was designated for assignment to make room on the 40 man roster for Sutton.

Jeff Keppinger: Another day, another injury. Keppinger suffered a right foot injury on May 19th when he got hit by a foul ball off of the bat of Martin Prado…while he was in the dugout. Keppinger’s status is unknown at the moment, however he was seen May 20th wearing a walking boot. This is yet another weird Rays injury in a long list odd injuries so far in 2012. Maddon said Keppinger, would be sent for tests, and the Rays should have an update on his status May 21st. “We have to make sure exactly what it is,” Maddon said.

Will Rhymes: For those of you that watched the game tonight, you witnessed Franklin Morales bean infielder Will Rhymes on the right forearm in the eighth inning. For those of you that didn’t, you can see it here. Rhymes, subsequently, passed out while motioning to the dugout in an attempt to let Maddon and Co. know that he needed be pulled from the game.

To say that this was a nasty scene is like saying the Red Sox are a nasty, dirty group of players that don’t know how to fully accept that they’re starting the season under .500 for the second year in a row. Nevertheless, Rhymes is okay…bruised but okay. As per a tweet from Rays beat writer, Marc Topkin, “Rays say x-rays negative on Rhymes, has a bruise, is considered day to day.” That’s good news to say the least.

(Post game interview with Will Rhymes)

Brandon Guyer: Out for the season with a torn left labrum. Guyer will need surgery for the injury.

Evan Longoria: Making fast progress, though I wouldn’t pin your hopes on Longo returning sooner than later. His injury is one that you’d rather not rush, and rush him they will not.

Jose Lobaton: Now with the Biscuits for a rehab stint .

Robinson Chirinos: No word on his progress.

Desmond Jennings: Just added to the DL about 30 minutes prior to the start of the game. His DL stint is retroactive to May 12. Jennings will start his rehab assignment around May 30th, and probably won’t be back in the Rays lineup until the following weekend at the earliest.

Sam Fuld: Still recovering from surgery. Expected back on the roster sometime later in the summer.

Jeff Niemann: The tall righty was placed on the 60-day DL following a broken fibula incurred on May 14th against the Blue Jays. Niemann is likely to miss at least a few months. Joe Maddon expects Niemann to be back sometime this season. Alex Cobb was called up May 16th, and made his first start May 19th.

…………………

Trade news, AKA Moving and Shaking: Tampa Bay has acquired left handed out-fielder, Rich Thompson, from the Phillies for former Ray (minor leaguer to be specific) out-fielder, Kyle Hudson.

Thompson, 33, has posted a .307/.390/.398 line in 101 plate appearances this season with Phillies Triple-A affiliate, Lehigh. Thompson is a .276/.349/.383 career hitter in over 3,400 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

The Rays have just acquired Drew Sutton from the Pirates (via the Braves) reports MLB Trade Rumors. In return, the Pirates will receive a player to be named at a later time. Sutton will join the Rays tonight at which point they’ll make a corresponding move. I’m giddy…could the Rays be trading Brignac?!

According to MLB Trade Rumors,

Sutton has a .258/.322/.403 batting line line in 178 MLB plate appearances with the Reds, Red Sox and Indians. The 28-year-old has MLB experience at all four infield positions and both corner outfield positions. He signed a minor league deal with Atlanta this past offseason and played 38 games for Triple-A Gwinnett before yesterday’s trade.

The switch hitting Sutton offers the Rays more infield depth while Longo, Allen, and (presumably) Keppinger mend from their injuries.

Looking Backward While Moving Forward, AKA A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Words Rays vs. Braves 5/19/12 (Starting Lineup Included)

Posted: May 19, 2012 by Schmitty in Tampa Bay Rays, Uncategorized
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Update: Will Rhymes and sean Rod are back in the starting lineup (below) today. Let’s Go Rays!

Tampa Bay Rays:
Zobrist RF
Upton CF
Joyce LF
Pena 1B
Scott DH
Rodriguez 3B
Rhymes 2B
Johnson SS
Gimenez C
Cobb RHP

In front of 19,000+ attendees, Tampa Bay dropped to the first game of a three game set to the Braves last night, 5-3. This was the second Rays loss in a row, and their fifth at home in 2012. Two young righties will battle one another in today’s 4:10 game. A recently recalled Alex Cobb (o-o, 0.00 ERA) takes the bump against Randall Delgado (2-3, 3.79 ERA) as the Rays attempt to grind out a win against the 25-15 Atlanta Braves. For the Rays, the same dogma that has lingered over their heads all season, again, holds true today…”Get ‘em on, move ‘em over, get ‘em home“. Tampa Bay had ample opportunity to incur some damage on Tommy Hanson and the Braves, including a bases loaded loaded third inning where they were only able to drive in one run on a Luke Scott sac-fly, yet they left six on the bags. Tampa Bay went 2-5 with runners in scoring position.

We’re pretty tired of seeing this in the box score.
(Courtesy of Yahoo Sorts)

Randall Delgado is another Braves pitcher who the Rays have little, to no, experience against. Primarily a fastball and sinker ball pitcher, Delgado tends to paint the inside corners against both righties and lefties. He tends to leave a few meatballs in the zone from time to time, giving up 18 runs (17 earned) on 36 hits, including three home runs, in 40 innings of work so in 2012. However, if he keeps the ball down, watch out. Below are a few graphs and charts on Delgado. I tend to think they speak for themselves.

Delgado vs. lefties (Courtesy of Baseball IQ)

Delgado vs. righties (Courtesy of Baseball IQ)

(Courtesy of Baseball IQ)

Pitch location by type vs. righties.
(Courtesy of Brooksbaseball.net)

Pitch location by type vs. lefties. (Courtesy of Brooksbaseball.net)

A Tale of Two Matt Moores, Who Is Tommy Hanson, and Alex Cobb (Starting Lineup Included)

Posted: May 18, 2012 by Schmitty in Tampa Bay Rays, Uncategorized
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We saw two Matt Moore’s last night: the Matt Moore of 2012 in the first and second innings, and the Matt Moore of 2011 in the third through sixth innings. To be honest, Moore scared me in the first two innings of last nights game. In those innings alone, Moore gave up two runs on four hits and a walk. I should also mention that he hit Adrian Gonzalez* with a pitch to load the bases in the first inning. To his credit, Matt was able to get out of a bases loaded situation with minimal damage. Moore’s control, and inevitably his ability to locate his pitches, was all over the place (see the pitch f/x below).

Matt Moore’s pitch location in the first and second innings (brooksbaseball.net)

Moore began to calm down in the third inning, though he wasn’t truly the Matt Moore of 2011 until the fourth inning. Nevertheless, Moore gave up one run on one hit (a Cody Ross homer) in the third, while striking out five and walking none. Moore found his location (see the pitch f/x below)and was able to coast through the last four innings with little, to any, Red Sox threat. In short, he was able to salvage what could have been a horrendous start, keeping the Rays in the game throughout the duration of his performance. Did I mention that he was pretty fun to watch in the third through sixth innings as well? In the end, I would call this Moore’s strongest effort to date. It was nice to see that he was able to calm down and put himself in a position of positive growth for his next start.

Matt Moore pitch location in the third through sixth innings (brooksbaseball.net)

How’s this for a flattering photo of Tommy Hanson?

The Rays are starting a three game intraleague set against the Braves tonight. On the hill for the Braves is RHP Tommy Hanson (4-3, 3.43 ERA) who the Rays have not seen very much of. The players on the Rays roster that have seen Hanson are hitting .087 BAA in 23 at-bats, with three walks and seven strike outs. Hanson has a big overhead curveball, a slider, and a decent 89-92 MPH fastball that he tends to lean on most of the time. He has been known to leave his fastball in the meatball zone (high and over the plate) and has been punished a few times this year for doing so. Most notably, Hanson was knocked out of the May 2nd game against the Phillies after only 3.2 innings of work. In that game, he gave up four earned runs on eight hits and two walks. Hanson is averaging just over five innings of work in his eight starts, making it through the seventh inning only twice this season.

Finally, Alex Cobb has been called up from Triple-A Durham, to fill in for the broken legged Jeff Niemann. He’s getting the nod tomorrow’s game. As you may recall, Cobb was called up last year to fill in for an ailing Jeff Niemann. Tonight’s starting lineup is below. Sean Rodriguez is off, finding Jeff Keppinger at third. Will Rhymes isn’t listed in the lineup either. No word whether Rodriguez or Rhymes would be available off of the bench, though I’d imagine if either of them are  available, it’d be Sean Rod.

Tampa Bay Rays Starting Lineup:

Zobrist 2B

Upton CF

Joyce RF

Pena 1B

Scott DH

Kepppinger 3B

Johnson SS

Thompson LF

Molina C

Shields RHP (6-1)

*A note to you, dear reader: If I may digress for a moment though and say that I am completely fine with Moore hitting Gonzalez with a pitch. I was fully expecting more fireworks, both offensively and defensively, following Tuesday’s game, but this “unintentional” showing of team support was enough to satiate that must-get-even affect inside of me.

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