Will he give Tampa Bay the offensive jolt it needs? Or will its postseason offensive malaise continue?įirst pitch is again at 3 p.m. That won't stop Tampa Bay from inserting lefty Josh Lowe into the lineup after he had the day off against Montgomery. Expect about five innings from him if all goes well early, but with Zack Littell and Aaron Civale both available in the event of a Game 3, don't be surprised to see the Rays' bullpen get active quickly if it doesn't.īoth starters were among baseball's best free-agent acquisitions this year, both were vital pieces for depleted rotations and both are righties who possess a distinct ability to neutralize left-handed hitters. Eflin has been a model of consistency in Tampa Bay, allowing three runs or fewer in each of his last eight starts. The Rays will turn to Zach Eflin, who tied for the American League lead with 16 wins, hoping he can add another to keep their season alive. 272 AVG against) after he suffered a forearm strain. 213 AVG against) and a second half that was limited to seven suspect starts (7.18 ERA, 1.44 K/BB. Game 2 starter Nathan Eovaldi was an All-Star this year, but there was a stark difference between his ferocious first half (2.83 ERA, 3.52 K/BB. After Montgomery, the reliability of a depleted Texas pitching staff wanes. This felt like a game the Rangers had to have. local time), that's not a typical playoff home-field advantage. Even for a game in the middle of a work day (first pitch was 3:07 p.m. The Rays have thrived all year at home (53-28), but the announced attendance for Game 1 was 19,704 at The Trop. If there were still any questions about how he'd handle the pressure, he answered them. In his first postseason game Tuesday, he made a diving catch and reached base all four times up with two six-pitch walks and two of the Rangers' three doubles. The 21-year-old hadn't played above Double-A as of late August. Not really a surprise, considering the way he played in September, but it's worth noting rookie Evan "Full-Count" Carter's performance. They finished the day 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position with 13 left on base, an area they'll likely have to clean up if they want to advance. Through five innings, the Rays had already committed three errors and thrown a wild pitch with the bases loaded, and yet Texas led just 2-0. Aroldis Chapman and Jose Leclerc combined to allow just one baserunner in the final two innings, which could be a confidence booster for a maligned Rangers bullpen that entered the playoffs with a 4.77 ERA and more blown saves than converted saves on the season.įor a while, it looked like the Rangers might rue their bevy of missed opportunities. Nursing a 4-0 lead might seem like a simple feat, but considering the late-inning troubles in Texas, it had to feel like a relief (no pun intended) to shut it down. Randy Arozarena's third-inning double off Montgomery was the Rays' only extra-base hit of the day. The Rays scored the fourth-most runs in baseball this season, yet Tuesday felt like cruel déja vu for a Tampa Bay offense that hasn't scored a run now in 27 consecutive playoff innings (the Rays mustered one run in 24 innings in their 2022 wild-card defeat to Cleveland). He struck out five and needed only 93 pitches to go seven. Montgomery allowed just four hard-hit balls, only one of which dropped in for a hit. Montgomery stranded a runner in scoring position in the third and sixth innings, but the Rays rarely threatened. Evan Carter ended the first inning with a diving catch and Montgomery added his own an inning later to record an out on a sacrifice bunt attempt before stranding two. While the defense behind Glasnow failed the Rays starter, the Rangers - one of the best defenses in the majors this year - looked stout behind Montgomery. His production has been vital for a Texas rotation missing Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Jon Gray, and it was more of the same Tuesday in Tampa Bay as Montgomery held the Rays scoreless for seven innings. Montgomery has developed into the Rangers' ace, going at least six innings and allowing one or no runs in each of his final four starts of the regular season. On Wednesday, Notre Dame outlasted Rutgers in double overtime and Wright State won its first NCAA Tournament game.Įvery day this week we’re bringing you our favorite upsets, favorites and everything in between with our Bracket Breakers model and Austin Mock’s tournament picks for every game.The best deadline acquisition in baseball took the mound for Texas in Game 1. Indiana and Texas Southern won First Four games on Tuesday to advance to the first round so we’ve updated the brackets.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |