- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 452,787
- Reaction score
- 44
NEW YORK — Obvious observation No. 1:
The current configuration of the Rays lineup is, shall we say, vulnerable against left-handed pitching. Collectively, the Rays are hitting .187 with a .277 slugging percentage against lefties.
Obvious observation No. 2:
Max Fried is not your typical lefty. Twelve days after throwing 7 ⅔ shutout innings against the Rays, Fried added another seven shutout innings on Friday night. He ran his record to 6-0 with a 1.01 ERA this season, and the Rays are 3-for-45 against him with three singles.
Obvious observation No. 3:
The Rays are wobbling.
Tampa Bay lost to the Yankees 3-0 Friday for their fourth setback in a row. They have managed to score only three runs in those four games, a streak of futility that had not been matched by Tampa Bay since 2017.
“A lot of frustration,” manager Kevin Cash said. “I get it, because we’re all confident that we’re better than maybe what we’ve performed the last four or five games. But that doesn’t make it feel any better. It’s going to take one of those big hits to open some things up.”
This is a team coming off a franchise-worst offense in 2024, so there’s not a secret stash of optimism in the corner of the clubhouse. As the losses and the shutouts — that makes five in the last 15 games — continue to pile up, there is concern about a crisis of confidence.
“It’s always hard whenever you try to do too much,” said shortstop Jose Caballero, who got Tampa Bay’s lone hit on Friday. “This game is hard enough itself, so whenever you try to do too much you just make the game harder on yourself. I think we just need to take a step back and try to slow our game down.”
That sounds great in theory, but everyone knew the reality would be tougher on Friday night.
While rookies such as Kameron Misner and Chandler Simpson have injected some needed juice in the lineup, recent injuries have left the Rays with fewer options against left-handed pitchers. Jonny DeLuca (shoulder) and Jake Mangum (groin) likely would have been in the lineup on Friday, as well as switch-hitting shortstop Taylor Walls, who has been in a season-long hitting funk.
Jonathan Aranda and Misner have been two of Tampa Bay’s best hitters this season, but there’s a reason they have not gotten a lot of at-bats against left-handed pitchers. They both got rare starts against a lefty Friday and went a combined 0-for-5 against Fried with four strikeouts. For the season, they’re 5-for-34 against lefties.
“I’ve talked to (Misner and Simpson) kind of going back-and-forth against lefties,” Cash said before the game. “Given our current roster and how, at times, left-handed we can be, they’re going to play.”
The lack of hitting was particularly disturbing Friday, considering Rays starter Ryan Pepiot delivered a fairly gutty performance. While not nearly as dominating as Fried, Pepiot kept the game scoreless going into the fifth inning by pitching out of multiple jams.
The Yankees, however, were able to drive up his pitch count with a lot of foul balls, so Cash pulled the right-hander with 88 pitches after he gave up a leadoff walk and a one-out double to Aaron Judge in the fifth.
“I thought Pep was outstanding,” Cash said. “Kind of death by foul balls It drove the pitch count up, a lot of long at-bats. We know that coming in they’re swinging the bat well, they’re leading the league in a bunch of offensive categories, so you’ve got your hands full. But he navigated through it really, really well.”
With runners on second and third and one out, left-hander Mason Montgomery came in and got Ben Rice on a called third strike. He got ahead of Paul Goldschmidt 0-1, but gave up an opposite-field homer on a 99 mph fastball that may have been a smidge above the strike zone.
“I wanted to do exactly what I did with it,” Montgomery said of the pitch. “My fastball plays best at the top of the zone, and I threw it as hard as I could at the top of the zone. I hit my spot, and he’s a good hitter. He put a good swing on it.”
It’s still extremely early in the season, but it’s hard not to draw comparisons to 2024.
The Rays averaged a franchise-low 3.73 runs per game last year.
So far in 2025, they’re averaging 3.78.
Even when they swept the Padres in San Diego last weekend, they scored nine runs in three games.
“That’s baseball,” Pepiot said. “We’re going to go through stretches where we as pitchers give up seven (runs) a game. And then there are nights when we don’t score. We just have to be better as pitchers, try to pick those guys up.”
John Romano can be reached at [email protected]. Follow @romano_tbtimes.
• • •
Sign up for our Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on X and Facebook.
Continue reading...
The current configuration of the Rays lineup is, shall we say, vulnerable against left-handed pitching. Collectively, the Rays are hitting .187 with a .277 slugging percentage against lefties.
Obvious observation No. 2:
Max Fried is not your typical lefty. Twelve days after throwing 7 ⅔ shutout innings against the Rays, Fried added another seven shutout innings on Friday night. He ran his record to 6-0 with a 1.01 ERA this season, and the Rays are 3-for-45 against him with three singles.
Obvious observation No. 3:
The Rays are wobbling.
Tampa Bay lost to the Yankees 3-0 Friday for their fourth setback in a row. They have managed to score only three runs in those four games, a streak of futility that had not been matched by Tampa Bay since 2017.
“A lot of frustration,” manager Kevin Cash said. “I get it, because we’re all confident that we’re better than maybe what we’ve performed the last four or five games. But that doesn’t make it feel any better. It’s going to take one of those big hits to open some things up.”
This is a team coming off a franchise-worst offense in 2024, so there’s not a secret stash of optimism in the corner of the clubhouse. As the losses and the shutouts — that makes five in the last 15 games — continue to pile up, there is concern about a crisis of confidence.
“It’s always hard whenever you try to do too much,” said shortstop Jose Caballero, who got Tampa Bay’s lone hit on Friday. “This game is hard enough itself, so whenever you try to do too much you just make the game harder on yourself. I think we just need to take a step back and try to slow our game down.”
That sounds great in theory, but everyone knew the reality would be tougher on Friday night.
While rookies such as Kameron Misner and Chandler Simpson have injected some needed juice in the lineup, recent injuries have left the Rays with fewer options against left-handed pitchers. Jonny DeLuca (shoulder) and Jake Mangum (groin) likely would have been in the lineup on Friday, as well as switch-hitting shortstop Taylor Walls, who has been in a season-long hitting funk.
Jonathan Aranda and Misner have been two of Tampa Bay’s best hitters this season, but there’s a reason they have not gotten a lot of at-bats against left-handed pitchers. They both got rare starts against a lefty Friday and went a combined 0-for-5 against Fried with four strikeouts. For the season, they’re 5-for-34 against lefties.
“I’ve talked to (Misner and Simpson) kind of going back-and-forth against lefties,” Cash said before the game. “Given our current roster and how, at times, left-handed we can be, they’re going to play.”
The lack of hitting was particularly disturbing Friday, considering Rays starter Ryan Pepiot delivered a fairly gutty performance. While not nearly as dominating as Fried, Pepiot kept the game scoreless going into the fifth inning by pitching out of multiple jams.
The Yankees, however, were able to drive up his pitch count with a lot of foul balls, so Cash pulled the right-hander with 88 pitches after he gave up a leadoff walk and a one-out double to Aaron Judge in the fifth.
“I thought Pep was outstanding,” Cash said. “Kind of death by foul balls It drove the pitch count up, a lot of long at-bats. We know that coming in they’re swinging the bat well, they’re leading the league in a bunch of offensive categories, so you’ve got your hands full. But he navigated through it really, really well.”
With runners on second and third and one out, left-hander Mason Montgomery came in and got Ben Rice on a called third strike. He got ahead of Paul Goldschmidt 0-1, but gave up an opposite-field homer on a 99 mph fastball that may have been a smidge above the strike zone.
“I wanted to do exactly what I did with it,” Montgomery said of the pitch. “My fastball plays best at the top of the zone, and I threw it as hard as I could at the top of the zone. I hit my spot, and he’s a good hitter. He put a good swing on it.”
It’s still extremely early in the season, but it’s hard not to draw comparisons to 2024.
The Rays averaged a franchise-low 3.73 runs per game last year.
So far in 2025, they’re averaging 3.78.
Even when they swept the Padres in San Diego last weekend, they scored nine runs in three games.
“That’s baseball,” Pepiot said. “We’re going to go through stretches where we as pitchers give up seven (runs) a game. And then there are nights when we don’t score. We just have to be better as pitchers, try to pick those guys up.”
John Romano can be reached at [email protected]. Follow @romano_tbtimes.
• • •
Sign up for our Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on X and Facebook.
Continue reading...
