Rays Report | Rotation is armed and ready for playoffs

The Rays will go as far as their starters can carry them

 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

View on the web Go to our home page Subscribe to the Times Monday, September 19, 2022 Forward this to a friend Subscribe to more newsletters [IVY CEBALLO | Times] No spin needed for this Tampa Bay rotation You cannot say this is the most durable rotation in franchise history.   It is not the most explosive, the most stingy, nor the most successful when it comes to wins and losses. But do you know what you can say about the 2022 rotation?   It’s the reason the Rays are on the verge of a playoff berth.   Following a typical Jeffrey Springs outing on Sunday — five-plus innings with two earned runs — Rays starters now have a 3.38 ERA for the season. That’s second-best in franchise history.   They are averaging 8.88 strikeouts per nine innings — that’s fourth-best in franchise history.   Their WHIP, OPS and on-base percentage are all on track to set new team records. So why aren’t we singing their praises on a daily basis?   Mostly because the Rays have been so careful about their workloads that only Shane McClanahan and Corey Kluber have thrown enough innings to qualify among the league leaders.   If Springs and Drew Rasmussen each had another 25 innings under their belts, the Rays would have three of the top eight leaders in the American League in ERA.   This is why you’ll occasionally hear grumbling about manager Kevin Cash pulling his starters too soon from games. And, it’s true, the bullpen has blown more saves than any team in the league.   But the Rays have been banking on October baseball since spring training, and part of that plan includes having their starters healthy and effective after the 162-game regular season.   McClanahan, Springs and Rasmussen have already thrown a career-high number of innings, and Kluber is about to go over 150 innings for the first time since 2018.   Managing their innings so closely may have caused the Rays some short-term pain, but the theory is it will make them a stronger team in the postseason.   Tampa Bay’s defense is still strong, but it’s no longer the best in the league. The offense has taken a huge step backward from last season. The bullpen is solid, but it’s had some major injury issues.   If the Rays are going to get anywhere in the playoffs, it will be because McClanahan, Rasmussen and Springs help carry them there. And now, after his third rehab appearance in Triple-A on Sunday, there is an increasingly strong chance that Tyler Glasnow will be around to throw three or four innings in a starter/opener role.   There are no guarantees, of course. The Rays thought they had the right mix of pitching last October, but Shane Baz, Rasmussen and McClanahan were all hit hard by the Red Sox in the division series.   Other AL playoff contenders have taken a more conventional route. Toronto’s Alek Manoah, Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios have all thrown more innings than every Tampa Bay starter. Ditto for Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill in Cleveland and Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert and Marco Gonzales in Seattle.   Will fresher arms make a difference in October? [IVY CEBALLO | Times] A mid-season replacement and other Rays links • Hard to overstate how important Christian Bethancourt has been in the second half. With Mike Zunino out for the season, Bethancourt has filled in capably as Francisco Mejia’s partner at catcher. He’s tied for second on the team in homers since mid-July, and he has been a stud throwing out would-be base-stealers. Marc Topkin explores Bethancourt’s journey from hotshot prospect to 31-year-old role player. • In case you missed it, the Rays recently announced they would cut ticket, parking and concession prices for the final homestand of the season. It’s the second year in a row they’ve done this. If the Rays recognize that prices are keeping fans away from Tropicana Field, doesn’t it make sense for them to lower prices in 2023? If attendance increases at cheaper prices, their revenues are not going to fluctuate dramatically and they’ll be building their fan base. I addressed the idea in a column about opening the upper deck. • Class A Charleston is in the playoffs for the second consecutive season following a 99-year drought of championships in the longtime minor-league site. The Post and Courier explored the new partnership between the RiverDogs and the Rays. • Bob Nightengale reported that David Price will retire after this season, although the former Ray later said he had not yet made a decision. It seems like forever since Price was traded to Detroit in 2014 (in the Willy Adames deal), but more than half of his MLB wins (82 of 157) came in a Tampa Bay uniform. This story from MLB Trade Rumors has a nice summation of Price’s career. [IVY CEBALLO | Times] Fairbanks is getting his career under control • Pete Fairbanks always had the arm to be an elite reliever, but there was some question about his consistency. No longer. Since coming back from shoulder problems earlier in the season, Fairbanks has been close to unhittable. He has a 1.29 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 21 innings. Even better, he’s consistently throwing strikes. After averaging 4.5 walks per nine innings from 2019-21, Fairbanks is at 0.8 walks this season. • It’s been a long haul, but the Rays have caught the Diamondbacks. The Rays finished two wins behind Arizona when they debuted as expansion teams in 1998, and have been chasing them ever since. The Diamondbacks won 100 games in their second season and won the World Series in their fourth. It’s taken more than two decades, but the Rays have finally caught up. Their 5-3 win against the Rangers on Sunday gave them a franchise record of 1,908-2,022. The Diamondbacks are 1,908-2,024. • Jose Siri is now hitting .270 with three homers in his first 126 at-bats with the Rays. It’s not exactly All-Star material, but it at least suggests the Rays may have a full-time answer in centerfield in 2023. There’s no doubt Siri has the athletic talent to be an elite centerfielder, but he has had some issues with reading balls off the bat. • I’ve been somewhat critical of Randy Arozarena this season, but a hot streak in the second half means he will finish with nearly identical numbers to 2021 when he won the Rookie of the Year award. You can argue whether that’s a disappointment or not. You would sort of hope that he would grow as a hitter, but it’s hard to knock a 20 homer, 30 stolen base and 80 RBI season. Contact John Romano at jromano@tampabay.com. Follow @romano_tbtimes. Did someone forward this to you? Get Rays Report in your own inbox next time. It's free to subscribe. Sign up here. Contact us Privacy policy Terms, conditions & copyright Standard of accuracy © 2022 • All Rights Reserved Tampa Bay Times • 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 To ensure this email is delivered to your inbox, add custserv@elist.tampabay.com to your address book. You are receiving this email because you signed up for the "Rays Report" newsletter from the Tampa Bay Times. If you’d prefer not to receive updates, you can unsubscribe from this email.