Representing part of the Rays revival, Sergio Romo ended this afternoon’s game with a strikeout of Michael A. Taylor which prompted the benches to clear. Romo did not forget Taylor stealing third base with the Nationals leading Tampa Bay in the sixth inning by seven runs in Washington and shared his feelings after the game ended. Although nothing escalated, the Rays won their fifth straight home game sweeping the Yankees in a three-game series and the last two games from the Nationals. Also, the pitching staff has combined for three shutouts in the win streak.
Since Tampa experimented with “The Opener”, the franchise leads the American League and all of baseball since its inception on May 19th. While the sentiment of necessity being the mother of all invention may be applicable, it’s catching on with other teams entering the fray copying the concept. Meanwhile, Tampa lingers on the outskirts of playoff contention while continually turning over the roster trying to keep up with the Joneses of the American League East. Romo’s actions represent the chip on his team’s shoulders and even if they cannot qualify for the postseason, seeing how they navigate the rest of the season will be something to take note of.
That Just Happened
It’s strange to see Nathan Eovaldi record one more swinging strike plus called strikes (26) than Max Scherzer ’s (25) in Tuesday’s matinee, and with four fewer pitches. Scherzer sat on the precipice of becoming the 11th pitcher to record 1,000 career strikeouts with two franchises but will need seven more to join the club with Tampa’s pesky at-bats. Plus, Scherzer loses his fourth game this year in spite of a minuscule 2.04 ERA. Eovaldi limited Washington to one hit over six innings during his first multiple walk game since returning from the disabled list with nine strikeouts.
Kevin Kiermaier once again sparked the offense scoring the games only run going 1-for-3 with a walk and his third stolen base. He’s hit safely the last four games and the window to buy low on him could be closing soon.
Not mentioned above, the Rays used Jose Alvarado to start the ninth with Bryce Harper leading off. Harper drew a walk but then Chaz Roe entered the game, not for Alvarado but in place of C.J. Cron . Alvarado shifted to first base while Roe struck out Anthony Rendón . Then, Tampa replaced Roe with Carlos Gómez in the outfield with Jake Bauers going back to first and Alvarado to the mound to face Juan Soto and Daniel Murphy .
After both Soto and Murphy singled to load the bases with one out, Romo entered inducing a shallow flyout to right field by Trea Turner then the game ending strikeout. Romo notched his sixth save and fifth since June 12th in six tries. He’s recorded scoreless outings in 11 of his last 12 games to reduce his ERA from 6.33 to 4.68 in the process.
Rookie Juan Soto extended his hit streak to 10 games and has reached base in 29 of his first 33 games with a hit in 25 of them. Soto’s scored 22 runs with nine doubles, six home runs, 16 RBI and a stolen base while slashing .324/.434/.574 his first 33 games. Most impressive, his 21 walks versus 24 strikeouts as a 19 year old who started the season in High-A ball.
Bryce Harper hit his seventh double the last eight games and walked twice. It’s been a tough stretch for Harper but fantasy owners wonder when his doubles will translate to home runs and a hot streak to justify his draft day price tag.
Night Moves
Tough day for Lorenzo Cain owners with him landing on the 10-day disabled list due to his groin injury. Milwaukee promoted Keon Broxton instead of Domingo Santana . If desperate for steals, grabbing Broxton for the next two weeks could pay dividends.
Wash, rinse and repeat for Josh Donaldson owners. He suffered a setback fielding ground balls and will be reevaluated in three more weeks. His days in the second or third round seem extinct.
Dylan Bundy heads to the disabled list with an ankle injury. He’s slated to return on July sixth to face Minnesota. No word on a replacement yet for Bundy but not sure looking to the Orioles rotation to replace him seems savvy.
Boston announced Steven Wright will return to the disabled list due to lingering soreness with his knee. He and Dustin Pedroia had the same surgery in the offseason with neither fully recovered yet. Drew Pomeranz will throw a simulated game in hopes of returning soon. Either Brian Johnson or Hector Velázquez will take Wright’s spot in the rotation until Pomeranz can rejoin the rotation.
Prayers for Sandy Alderson of the Mets who will take personal leave to battle cancer. It’s easy to be critical of the Mets moves, but never root against a man battling this disease.
Potentially good news for Arodys Vizcaíno owners. He played catch this afternoon and feels as though he will return when eligible on Sunday ready to pitch. Stay tuned. Dylan Covey also had an encouraging throwing session in the bullpen.
Kris Bryant (shoulder) has been placed on the 10-day DL retroactive to June 23. David Bote was recalled from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move.
No need to panic about owning Nelson Cruz , he gets a night off after appearing in 31 straight games with 21 runs, 13 home runs, 30 RBI and a .327/.412/.726 slash line in them. Rest easy Nelson.
Burning Questions
When will the Yankees promote Brandon Drury or the Rangers Willie Calhoun ? Keep in mind, while each hitter is doing well in Triple-A, the longer they stay down, the more team control. It’s a factor in trades and team’s futures. By the way, with Ronald Guzman landing on the disabled list, Texas recalled Ryan Rua . Case closed.
Matt Harvey ’s been throwing with increased velocities since joining the Reds, can he survive a start in Atlanta?
Houston could breakout the bats with a young southpaw making his debut in Minute Maid Park. Are you taking the over on this one? Definitely bet on a run in the first inning. Springer dinger.
Is anyone else strangely pulling for a Royals save chance to see if Wily Peralta could get a second straight save chance against his former employers? Me too.
Could the Red Sox bats finally conquer a southpaw at home and enjoy a rack of Lamb?
Will Greg Bird snap his 14 at-bat hitless streak?
Be sure to check back in the morning for more fantasy tidbits and recaps of Tuesday’s night action on Fantasy Alarm’s Round Up.
Statistical Credits:
MLB.com
Fangraphs.com
BaseballSavant.com