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You’ll be able to solely play who’s on the schedule. That’s an axiom as outdated as baseball, and it’s principally true. The Tampa Bay Rays received to start out their season with 9 video games in opposition to MLB’s children with mittens pinned to their jackets year-round, they usually’ve finished all they’ll do. Which is to beat the ever-loving piss out of them, to the tune of a 9-0 report with a run-difference of +57. That might work out to a +1,026 run distinction over a full season. Which might be tasty.
However sure, it’s arduous to guage what the Rays are once they’ve performed the Tigers, Nationals, and A’s, the final of which they beat Saturday and Sunday by a mixed 22-0. You’d determine that no less than on Opening Day they’d face a top-tier pitcher, given that the majority everybody has to. They received Eduardo Rodriguez in Detroit, who’s the very definition of nice. It’s additionally the one recreation they’ve been held to beneath 5 runs, so clearly they’re butt when going through a heat physique on the mound! Nicely, probably not.
Right here’s the checklist of starters they’ve confronted since, and see what number of you knew had been actual individuals earlier than studying this: Spencer Turnbull, Joey Wentz, Trevor Williams, Chad Kuhl, Patrick Corbin, Ken Waldichuk, Shintaro Fujinami, and James Kaprielian. Williams and Kuhl the definition of plugs that dangerous groups signal as a result of somebody has to really stand on the mound and hurl the ball someplace towards residence plate each fifth day. Patrick Corbin is useless. Waldichuk shouldn’t be an actual individual, and Fujinami and Kaprielian are Athletics. So sure…chum.
The Rays’ numbers are fairly hilarious. Wander Franco is slugging .757, which might make him Frank Thomas who can play shortstop. He’s already collected 0.8 fWAR, which might set him on a 14.4 fWAR tempo, which might be the second-best single season of all-time (Ruth, ‘27, you could have heard about it) They’ve 5 guys who’ve a wRC+ over 200 (100 is common). Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs haven’t given up a run in 4 mixed begins. Shane McLanahan has given up two. Zach Efflin has been the true bum of the group, giving up 4 runs in 11 innings by means of two begins. 4 of their relievers haven’t given up a run to this point.
Nothing lasts perpetually, and the Rays will get one thing of a sterner take a look at with three video games in opposition to the Crimson Sox after which a decidedly sterner take a look at in opposition to the Jays subsequent weekend (although they’ll’t get anybody out in the mean time both). There aren’t any huge video games in an MLB common season, particularly with the expanded playoffs, however no less than the Rays may need to breathe arduous in some unspecified time in the future this week.
That stated, in a division the place one may anticipate the Yankees, Rays, and Jays to type of take equal bites out of one another, who wins the division and will get to skip out on the wildcard spherical may come right down to how a lot they beat up on numerous dregs across the league. A 9-0 run in opposition to them may play an enormous function in opposition to both the Yankees or Jays going 7-2 in opposition to them, which might nonetheless be a greater than acceptable run.
Franco is the one price watching. Final season he was blighted by an damage to his wrist, which is one thing that hitters take a very long time to get well from even after they return to the lineup. Whereas 1 / 4 of his fly balls aren’t going to maintain turning into homers (although with this baseball it would), he has proven far higher self-discipline to this point on the plate whereas nonetheless placing up high-end contact numbers when he does swing. That means his 90.5 common exit velocity and 40 p.c hard-hit fee may be issues we proceed to see, which ought to result in some fairly bonkers numbers.
On the pitching aspect, although they had been the pioneers when it got here to bullpen utilization and openers, the Rays have gotten fairly standard lately. And that’s even with looking for all of the items to Tyler Glasnow and put him again collectively once more. Drew Rasmussen is hanging out 35 p.c of the hitters he’s seen in two begins, and the added depth to his cutter to this point this season has made it Bugs Bunny-like (40 p.c whiff fee).
The Rays will lose, most likely this week. They received’t get to face fodder like this for many of the season. However hey, you possibly can solely eat what’s served.
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