Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays' 8-7 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the World Series was defined by offense and, in the end, bumbling defense by the Dodgers.

Now, with the series knotted 2-2 and Tampa Bay two victories away from claiming the first Commissioner's Trophy in franchise history, an interesting question has emerged: Have the Rays unlocked the future of MLB pitching?

On Saturday, Tampa Bay started left-hander Ryan Yarbrough. It was the 28-year-old's second start in four appearances this postseason. He lasted 3.1 frames and kept Tampa Bay in the game, then yielded to a parade of six relief pitchers.

The American League champs surrendered seven earned runs on 15 hits. Yet, overall, this is a template that has served them well.

The Rays are going with a bullpen game tonight.

The stable will be ready. 🔥#WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/4a1xzeYUaX

— MLB (@MLB) October 24, 2020

The Rays finished third in baseball with a 3.56 ERA during the regular season. Their starting pitchers—fronted by the trio of Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Charlie Morton—tied for sixth with a 3.77 ERA. Yet Rays starters ranked 26th in innings pitched with 258.

Instead, Tampa Bay and manager Kevin Cash leaned heavily on the bullpen. Rays relievers ranked third in both innings pitched (269.2) and ERA (3.37).

And it's not merely how often the Rays use their bullpen weapons, but also when they deploy them. Tampa Bay has frequently gone to ostensible late-inning options early in the game if the situation warrants.

On Saturday, the team turned to top-shelf relievers Pete Fairbanks and Diego Castillo to handle the fifth and sixth innings. Middle relief was once synonymous with the more, well, middling arms in a bullpen. But the Rays will reach for any arm at any time.

That's not to say they don't benefit from the performance of their starters. Snell, the 2018 American League Cy Young Award winner, carried a no-hitter two outs into the fifth inning of Game 2 against the Dodgers on Wednesday. 

But shortly after he allowed a two-run homer to Chris Taylor that trimmed the Rays' lead to 5-2, Snell was removed and replaced by Nick Anderson.

Anderson saved six games during the regular season, yet Cash had no qualms about summoning him in the fifth inning. In that game, which Tampa Bay won 6-4, Anderson was followed by Fairbanks, lefty Aaron Loup and, finally, Castillo.

Mix and juggle. Play the matchup and the moment, not necessarily the inning. These aren't brand-new ideas, but they fly in the face of traditional pitching management.

Thus far, they've gotten Tampa Bay to the doorstep of a championship.

The Rays, recall, were among the pioneers of the "opener" in 2018. These envelope-pushing machinations are an organizational tenet.

A small-market squad with the third-lowest payroll in baseball, Tampa Bay can't hang financially with the the New York Yankees (whom they bested in the division series) or the Dodgers.

Instead, they innovate. They try things. It doesn't always work perfectly, even when they win. Game 4 was a prime example, as Rays relievers yielded five earned runs on 10 hits.

Yet they might be pioneering something special. Los Angeles—led by president of baseball operations and former Rays general manager Andrew Friedman—has turned early and often to its relievers in the postseason and shown a willingness to play matchups at any point. 

Dominant starters will always be a part of the game. The Dodgers' Walker Buehler showed that in Game 3 of this World Series.

But the notion that sometimes it's better to pull a starter before he faces the same hitters a third time is gaining traction. The idea that you can bring a guy in to close a game one night and call on him in the middle innings the next doesn't seem so wacky.

Of course, it helps to have talent. Anderson, Castillo and Fairbanks as well as Loup, Ryan Thompson, John Curtiss and Aaron Slegers give Cash an enviable array of options.

"All of these guys are really tipping the scale and maximizing their potential," pitching coach Kyle Snyder told reporters. "They've certainly arrived differently, but they're all tremendously successful pitchers."

The Rays, likewise, have been successful. Now, especially if they topple Los Angeles, their outside-the-box pitching blueprint is one many clubs will undoubtedly try to emulate.

   

All statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference.

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kiermaier has won three Gold Gloves for his work in center field in 2015, 2016 and 2019. 

However, he wasn't named to the list of finalists in 2020, with the Minnesota Twins' Byron Buxton, the Oakland Athletics' Ramon Laureano and Luis Robert of the Chicago White Sox taking those honors.

Kiermaier expressed his surprise and disappointment that he was not included.

"I was very surprised," Kiermaier said, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers. "And once that emotion left me, I was disappointed. I was upset. I feel like what I did out there, defensively, was underappreciated this year."

Kiermaier finished with five defensive runs saved, per Baseball Savant, which put him in a three-way tie for fourth in that statistic league-wide among all outfielders. He also finished tied for eighth in success rate added and first at his position with six assists.

Kiermaier provided more insight: "I wasn't flawless by any means, but I thought I was darn good out there, and not to be considered top three...I don't know. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset about it."

The finalist selection this year played out differently than usual, per Rogers: "Finalists for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award at each position were picked purely by numbers this season and did not include input from managers or coaches like it usually does. In the past, a computer component was part of the process—but not the entire one."

Kiermaier responded to the use of computers this year: "If it's solely based on the computer and the numbers, I don't know what numbers that computer was looking at, but I believe they got it wrong. That's my opinion, but I think there are a lot of other people out there that would agree with me."

The 30-year-old is the anchor of a stellar Rays defense that has been instrumental in the team's run to the World Series. That effort led to Tampa Bay allowing the fourth-fewest runs in MLB.

Kiermaier and the Rays will play Game 3 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday at 8:08 p.m. ET. The best-of-seven series is tied at one game apiece.

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier is day-to-day with a hand contusion after getting hit by a pitch in the sixth inning by Houston Astros reliever Enoli Paredes, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Kiermaier was forced to leave the game; however, X-Rays were negative.

Tampa won Game 3, 5-2 to put the Rays up 3-0 in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series.

Catcher Mike Zunino entered the game for Kiermaier with Manuel Margot shifting to center field and Hunter Renfroe taking over in right field.

Yet it was Kiermaier who made arguably the biggest play of the game with a diving catch on Carlos Correa to end the third inning with two on. According to Statcast, Kiermaier had a 20 percent chance of making the grab, which surely would have netted the Astros two runs.

Kevin Kiermaier making plays 😳

Tune in on #MLBonTBS https://t.co/f9SkHrefbk

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 14, 2020

Instead, he preserved the Rays' deficit at 1-0, helping force Houston starter Jose Urquidy out after five innings once Tampa started to get on base.

The decision by Rays manager Kevin Cash to slot Renfroe in right paid off in similar fashion as the sub nabbed a well-hit pitch by George Springer with one on and two out in the seventh inning.

George Springer was HEATED after that Renfroe snag 😳

Rays lead on #MLBonTBS https://t.co/VJKsGrE2Wd

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 14, 2020

Kiermaier was slashing .226/.226/.677 with one home run and four RBI in 31 postseason at-bats heading into Tuesday's action. With no travel days this postseason, he'll have little time to rest up if he's going to make another appearance in the series.

The Tampa Bay Rays have never won a World Series in their relatively brief franchise history, which dates back to 1998. They snagged a pennant in 2008, but they've yet to hoist a Commissioner's Trophy.

That drought could end soon. After they bested the Houston Astros 2-1 in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday, the Rays are seven wins away from bathing in champagne and confetti.

If they get there, they'll be world champs. But perhaps more importantly, they'll be villain slayers.

The story begins with Tampa Bay's takedown of the New York Yankees in the division rivals' ALDS showdown. 

The Rays won the American League East by seven games over New York, yet they fell behind the powerful Bronx contingent 1-0 in their series after a 9-3 Game 1 thumping.

Tampa Bay rebounded to win the next two contests, however, and ultimately took the series with a 2-1 victory Friday.

The deciding blow came courtesy of Mike Brosseau.

Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman brushed Brosseau back with a 101 mph fastball on Sept. 1. That led to a benches-clearing incident and stoked the flames between the Yanks and Rays, as Bleacher Report's Scott Miller outlined:

"Chapman riled the Rays by either headhunting or impersonating a headhunter—take your pick—a furious Tampa Bay manager in Kevin Cash unleashed a quip for the ages, warning that 'I've got a whole damn stable full of guys that throw 98 miles an hour. Period.' The insinuation was that the Rays could exact their own revenge, and Tampa Bay's relievers soon had that put on to T-shirts they were wearing around."

Brosseau delivered his revenge in fence-clearing fashion Friday and sent the Yankees packing. It was a cathartic haymaker for him and Tampa Bay, and it represented a David-and-Goliath moment as the club with MLB's No. 28 payroll downed the biggest spenders on the block.

With that done, Tampa Bay is training its gaze on the 'Stros.

You know the narrative by now. Houston was busted by the league for stealing signs in its 2017 World Series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. It cost the franchise its manager and general manager, multiple first- and second-round draft picks and irreparable damage to its reputation.

No one outside hardcore Houston boosters was rooting for the Astros in 2020. They finished 29-31 and limped into the playoffs sans injured ace Justin Verlander. 

After sweeping the Minnesota Twins in the Wild Card Round and defeating the Oakland Athletics in a hard-fought division series tussle, though, the Astros entered the ALCS with a head of steam.

Shortstop Carlos Correa offered a succinct statement to the haters after Houston beat the Twinkies.

"I know a lot of people are mad," he told reporters. "I know a lot of people don't want to see us here. But what are they going to say now?"

One likely ubiquitous answer: Go Rays.

The Rays answered the call with Sunday's nailbiting win. They overcame an early 1-0 deficit after Jose Altuve's first-inning homer, scoring in the fourth and fifth innings to eke out a victory thanks in part to another home run from postseason legend-in-the-making Randy Arozarena.

Above all, their arms and glove work carried the day, as they so often have this season.

"We take pride in our pitching and our defense," catcher Mike Zunino, who drove home the winning run with a single in the fifth inning, told reporters. "It came up big for us today, got us out of some jams. We work hard on it. It's good for it to show."

Here's what the Rays really showed: They can vanquish villains. Now, they're three wins away from knocking the Astros out of the playoffs and making much of the baseball world happy.

Whether they'll win their first World Series remains to be seen. The champagne is on ice; the confetti has yet to fall.

Game 2 is Monday, with ex-Astro Charlie Morton set to go for Tampa Bay against Lance McCullers Jr. Expect more twists and turns.

No matter what, the Rays have put the Astros on notice. They're positioned for a deep run. They're a small-budget hopeful with a well-calibrated slingshot.

Villains, watch your backs.

   

All statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference.

The Tampa Bay Rays' Mike Brosseau said revenge wasn't on his mind when he hit a game-winning home run to eliminate the New York Yankees from the 2020 MLB playoffs Friday night.

Brosseau was nearly hit in the head by a 101 mph fastball from Yanks closer Aroldis Chapman in September, which led to both benches clearing and words being exchanged after Chapman struck out the super-utility player to end a 5-3 New York win last month.

"The revenge aspect, it's not a thought in my mind. We put it in the past and we moved on. We moved just straight to business," Brosseau told reporters. "The battle that we've had all year with these guys, to go to Game 5 and have such an unbelievably played well-played game, well-executed—you can't script it any better."

His ALDS-winning homer came in the bottom of the eighth Friday at the end of a 10-pitch at-bat against Chapman. Diego Castillo closed out the game in the top of the ninth to send the Rays to the ALCS, where they'll face the Houston Astros.

Brosseau, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning, was at the plate for just the fifth time in the series and the eighth time in the playoffs when he homered off Chapman.

"I don't know if there's any way to describe that kind of feeling. It's something I'll never forget," he said. "Nobody here wanted the season to end tonight. Happy to do my part and keep this team together for at least a little bit longer."

The Yankees didn't reference their previous issues with the Rays during their postgame remarks, instead focusing on the heartbreaking nature of being eliminated by a late run in a winner-take-all contest.

"These situations fall on me. I am the closer. I am the one who is going to finish the game, [whether] winning or losing it," Chapman said. "These things will happen to me in my career. But I am a strong-minded person and I have to move forward after a terrible moment like that one."

Manager Aaron Boone added: "It's awful. The ending is cruel, it really is."

Chapman's three-game suspension for allegedly throwing at Brosseau was delayed until next year, which kept him available for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. If it's upheld, he'll likely miss the first three contests of the 2021 campaign.

Meanwhile, the AL East champion Rays will be a slight favorite (-167) over the Astros (+135) to reach the World Series, per DraftKings Sportsbook.

The ALCS will begin Sunday night at 7:37 p.m. ET on TBS.

The Tampa Bay Rays announced they will hand the ball to starter Tyler Glasnow to begin a decisive Game 5 in the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees on Friday.

#Rays are starting Tyler Glasnow

— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) October 9, 2020

Glasnow will take the mound on just two days' rest after tossing five innings in Game 2 on Tuesday. The Rays righty gave up four runs on three hits with 10 strikeouts and three walks in a 7-5 victory for Tampa Bay. 

"Nobody needed to tell me that."

Gerrit Cole, on the possibility of pitching Game 5 on short rest.

— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) October 9, 2020

The Yankees will counter with Gerrit Cole, who last pitched in Game 1 on Monday, going six innings with three runs on six hits with eight strikeouts and two walks.

It'll be the first career start for Cole on three days of rest. He's previously pitched on four days of rest on four occasions in the postseason. For Glasnow, it'll be his first time taking the mound on just two days of rest. He's previously never gone less than four full days off before starting again.

Tampa Bay has become one of baseball's most experimental teams when it comes to pitching. The Rays made bullpen games a regular occurrence and introduced the concept of an "opener" in recent years, using one pitcher for the first inning before handing the ball over to either a long reliever or a typical starting pitcher. 

For a winner-take-all game on Friday, both teams are likely to mix and match their arms throughout the day as they look to exploit advantages in each other's lineup. 

Expect both starters to have a short leash, as both bullpens—and more than likely a few additional starters—will be ready to finish out the game. 

Because of the MLB's bubble format this year, teams do not have travel days to help their pitchers get extra rest. This will be the first time that comes into play this postseason. The winner will punch their ticket to the  American League Championship Series where the Houston Astros are already waiting. 

For the third time in franchise history, the Tampa Bay Rays are American League East champions.

The Rays clinched a division title thanks to their 8-5 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday.

The AL East belongs to the Rays. #CLINCHED pic.twitter.com/MvrtQhRQrY

— MLB (@MLB) September 24, 2020

Entering the 2020 season, the East was shaping up to be a two-horse race between Tampa Bay and the New York Yankees. The Yankees won the division by seven games in 2019, and the second-place Rays finished 12 games up on the third-place Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox signaled their priorities for 2020 when they traded David Price and Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles, meanwhile, were still below the level necessary to contend for an AL East crown.

For the Rays, a first-place finish won't carry the same kind of benefits it usually would thanks to a variety of circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic means home-field advantage doesn't count for as much without fans in stadiums. Playoff expansion also presents an extra round for teams to navigate. Tampa Bay is projected to match up with the eighth-seeded Blue Jays in the wild-card series.

Tampa Bay might be one of the teams helped most by MLB's playoff schedule, which doesn't include any days off for the first three rounds.

The Rays can go four-deep with their starting rotation (Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Ryan Yarbrough and Charlie Morton) before turning things over to one MLB's best bullpens.

Their relievers entered Wednesday collectively fourth in ERA (3.44) and FIP (3.66), per FanGraphs. They also threw the second-most innings (251.1), which highlights how many solid options manager Kevin Cash has at his disposal.

Pitching depth will likely prove even more invaluable this postseason, and it's an area in which the Rays excel.

Depending on how far the Rays advance this October, it could be a big sports year for the Tampa/St. Petersburg region. The Tampa Bay Lightning are in the Stanley Cup Final against the Dallas Stars, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers set their sights on a Super Bowl after signing Tom Brady.

The Tampa Bay Rays became the second American League team to clinch a playoff spot Thursday, joining the Chicago White Sox.

Tampa defeated the Baltimore Orioles 10-6 to earn its way into the postseason field of eight.

Postseason pumped! #RaysWin! pic.twitter.com/9MiAObFZtU

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 18, 2020

The #Rays clinch a postseason berth in back-to-back seasons for the second time in franchise history.

— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) September 18, 2020

The Rays have been one of the American League's best teams throughout the shortened 2020 season, as they hold a 33-18 record and are in first place in the AL East.

Tampa Bay was widely expected to be one of the teams to qualify for the playoffs, especially because of the expanded field, but they were considered underdogs in the AL East based on the impressive roster the New York Yankees put together.

The Yankees have struggled with injuries to their star players, though they've gotten hot of late, winning eight straight to move to 28-21. But the Rays have thrived despite a much smaller budget and still hold a 3.5-game lead on the Bronx Bombers. 

The Rays reached the American League Division Series last season, marking the first time they made the playoffs since 2013, but expectations are even higher in 2020 considering how well they have played to this point.

There are several reasons for the Rays' success this season, but chief among them may be their deep lineup featuring the likes of Brandon Lowe, Willy Adames, Austin Meadows, Kevin Kiermaier and Mike Brosseau, among others.

They also have some impressive rotation arms in Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Charlie Morton, plus a devastating one-two punch out of the bullpen in Nick Anderson and Diego Castillo.

Tampa has one of the most well-regarded managers in baseball in Kevin Cash as well, which means it seemingly has all the tools needed to compete for the first World Series title in franchise history.

The Tampa Bay Rays are no strangers to thinking outside the box, so their lineup against the Boston Red Sox on Friday was perfectly in keeping with their approach.

Rays manager Kevin Cash went with nine left-handers:

When they go right, we go left https://t.co/W1ChzjNpXt pic.twitter.com/LZlUKrbAEu

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 11, 2020

Per ESPN Stats & Info (via ESPN.com), it was the first time in modern MLB history a team started nine pure lefties.

MLB.com's Andrew Simon noted teams have used eight left-handed hitters 26 times—with the Rays being the most recent club to do so Saturday against the Miami Marlins.

Normally when a manager makes a move like this, it's to gain a platoon advantage against the opposing team's starter. Right-hander Andrew Triggs has pitched just 6.1 innings this season, but he's been far more effective against lefties (.307 OPS in 17 plate appearances) than righties (1.811 in 13).

In his career, Triggs has also been better against lefties (.233/.309/.380 slash line in 337 plate appearances) than right-handers (.269/.325/.440 in 396).

The Rays (28-16) happen to have a lot of talented left-handers. They rank fifth in the AL with 4.9 runs per game.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash was not happy with the New York Yankees following his team's 5-3 loss Tuesday.

"It's absolutely ridiculous," Cash said after a game that saw the benches clear when Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman threw a fastball by the head of pinch hitter Michael Brosseau, per ESPN. "It was mishandled by the Yankees. Certainly the pitcher on the mound. It was mishandled by the umpires."

He continued, saying, "Somebody has to be accountable. The last thing I'll say on it is I got a whole damn stable full of guys that throw 98 mph. Period."

Yankees and Rays benches clear after Chapman threw at Mike Brosseau's head 😳

(via @FoxSportsFL)pic.twitter.com/JyRdG4duT3

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) September 2, 2020

Umpires met after Chapman's pitch to Brosseau and issued warnings, especially since Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka hit Joey Wendle with a pitch in the first inning. Cash said he thought that hit-by-pitch was intentional.

Chapman eventually struck Brosseau out, and the pinch hitter exchanged words with someone on the Yankees. That prompted the benches to clear.

As for Cash's suggestion that he has a number of options who can throw fastballs at New York hitters, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said it was "a pretty scary comment. I don't think that's right at all. But I'm not going to get into it right now."

There was surely some lingering frustration from the Yankees' perspective considering they entered play on a six-game losing streak against Tampa Bay. They also recently lost seven straight overall but snapped that losing streak with a win over the New York Mets on Saturday.

In part because of the head-to-head dominance, the Rays are 3.5 games ahead of New York in the American League East race.

Tuesday's loss snapped a six-game winning streak for Tampa Bay that included sweeps of the Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins.

The Rays and Yankees face each other again Wednesday, and umpires will surely look to control the tension from the start given the events from Tuesday's contest.