TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:
TAMPA BAY TALK — Tampa Bay suffered its fifth shutout defeat of the season in last night’s 7-0 loss at San Francisco…it was first time the Rays were blanked since a 2-0 loss on 6/17 at San Diego…it marked the second time in 17 all-time matchups the Rays were shut out by the Giants (8-0 on 6/19/02).
The Rays five shutout defeats are tied with the Angels for second fewest in the AL behind Houston (4G).
The 2022 Rays were shut out seven times through 122 games compared to the five shutouts this year.
Last night marked the fifth time this season Tampa Bay was held to three hits or fewer (last: 3H on 7/23 vs. BAL).
Tampa Bay struck out 15 times last night, the fifth time they have had 15+ punchouts in a game this season, including twice in the last four games (15SO on
8/12 vs. CLE).
RECENT TRANSACTIONS — Prior to today’s game, the Rays placed RHP Kevin Kelly on the 15-day injured list and selected RHP Hector Perez from Triple-A Durham…to make room on the 40-man roster, RHP Ryan Thompson was designated for assignment.
HANGING AROUND — The Rays are 10-7 in their last 17 games following an MLB-worst 5-15 (.250) stretch from 7/1-26…they are 3.0 games behind first-place Baltimore in the AL East after spending 113 consecutive days atop the division from 3/30-7/21.
Since Rays manager Kevin Cash took over at the helm in 2015, Tampa Bay is 142- 91 (.609) in the month of August, the best mark in the AL and third best in the majors during that stretch behind Los Angeles-NL (155-79, .622) and St. Louis (143-84, .630).
The Rays, who led the majors with 109 games played from March through July, have six off days in August (four remaining), more than any other major league club…Milwaukee is next closest with five scheduled off days.
RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD — The Rays are 7-6 in rubber matches this season, including 4-4 on the road…Tampa Bay has won each of its last two road rubber matches (8/6 at ET and 7/30 at HOU).
A LOOK AHEAD — Following tomorrow’s off day, the Rays conclude their final West Coast trip of the season with a three-game set against the Angels…entering play today, Los Angeles pitchers have posted a 5.06 ERA since returning from the All-Star break, the highest mark in the AL and fourth highest in MLB, ahead of Arizona (5.64), Washington (5.26) and Pittsburgh (5.19)…Angels hitters have also posted a .235 AVG during that timeframe, the third-lowest mark in the AL, ahead of Oakland (.224) and New York (.232).
DYNAMITE DÍAZ — Yandy Díaz has reached base safely in six straight games and has hit safely in 12 of his last 15 games dating back to 7/30, slashing .365/.429/.556 (23-for-63) with six doubles, 2 HR, 10 RBI and 11 runs scored.
He ranks among AL leaders in batting average (2nd, .321), OBP (2nd, .400), OPS (2nd, .908), slugging percentage (6th, .508), runs (7th, 71) and hits (9th, 127).
In his last 10 Interleague games since 7/6, he is batting .425 (17-for-40) with three doubles, one HR and 8 RBI…his .328 (43-for-131) Interleague batting average ranks second in the AL (min. 125AB) behind TOR Bo Bichette (.333).
His 15 games with 3+ hits lead the AL and are tied with LAD Freddie Freeman for third most in the majors, trailing ATL Ronald Acuña Jr. and MIA Luis Arraez (17 each).
RANDY GETS ROLLING — Randy Arozarena has hit safely in eight of his last nine games dating back to 8/6, batting .286 (10-for-35) with two doubles, 4 RBI and three steals while drawing four walks against seven strikeouts…in his previous nine games from 7/25-8/5, he hit .065 (2-for-31) with one HR, 2 RBI, five walks and 10 strikeouts.
He has 21 go-ahead RBI this season, tied with CLE Josh Naylor for third most in the AL behind HOU Kyle Tucker (24) and José Ramírez (22).
Arozarena ranks among AL outfielders in on-base pct. (2nd, .362), walks (2nd, 58), pitches/plate appearance (3rd, 4.03), times on base (3rd, 179) and OPS (7th, .784).
LOWE’S HOME IMPROVEMENT—Josh Lowe has hit safely in six of his last seven games since 8/6, batting .308 (8-for-26) with one double, one triple, 2 RBI and two stolen bases.
Lowe has been successful on 24 of his 26 stolen base attempts (92.3%)…min. 25 stolen base attempts, his 92.3 stolen base pct. is tied with AZ Corbin Carroll for the
second-best mark in the majors behind MIL Christian Yelich (25-for-27, 92.6%).
He is batting .297 (30-for-101) with six doubles, one triple, 5 HR, 19 RBI and 11 steals in 30 Interleague games this season.
Min. 30 AB, his .436 (17-for-39) batting average with runners in scoring position and two outs ranks third in MLB behind MIA Luis Arraez (.500) and TEX Jonah Heim (.487)…in limited action last season, he hit .188 (3-for-16) in such situations.
HITTIN’ HAROLD — Harold Ramírez is batting .415 (17-for-41) over his last 14 games…he hit .182 (6-for-33) with one double in his previous 13 games from 7/1-7/25.
His three hits on Monday matched a career high (27x, last 8/4 at DET)…his triple on Monday also snapped a career-long 21-game streak without an extra-base hit.
Ramírez is 8-for-13 (.615) as a pinch-hitter this year, the highest mark in the majors (min. 10AB), ahead BAL Ryan McKenna (.500).
FEAST AND FAMINE — Jose Siri’s 21 HR since May are tied for fourth most in the AL behind LAA Shohei Ohtani (34HR), CWS Luis Robert Jr. (27HR) and TEX Adolis García (22HR).
With his punchout last night, Siri has struck out in an MLB-high 24 straight games, surpassing Evan Longoria’s 23-game run from 7/6-8/3, 2013 for the longest streak in franchise history.
INTERLEAGUE INTEL — The Rays are 21-19 (.525) in Interleague play this season…Tampa Bay began the season 15-7 (.682) against NL opponents but has gone 6-12 (.333) since.
BATS GET GOING — Despite last night’s three-hit shutout, Tampa Bay has recorded 12+ hits in six of its last 15 games dating back to 7/30 while scoring 5+ runs in eight of the 15 contests.
In 13 games this month, the Rays are batting .316 (30-for-95) with runners in scoring position, the highest mark in the AL and fourth in MLB behind Atlanta (.355), Los Angeles-NL (.343) and Kansas City (.317)…the Rays hit .197 with runners in scoring position in July (24G), the third-lowest mark in the majors, ahead of San Francisco (.180) and New York-AL (.193).
BAY AREA BATTLE — Tampa Bay and San Francisco conclude a three-game series this afternoon at Oracle Park…the clubs last met in 2019, with the Rays taking two of three from the Giants from 4/5-7 in San Francisco.
It marks Tampa Bay’s third trip to San Francisco in club history, following three-game sets from 6/18-20, 2002 and 4/5-7, 2019.
TODAY’S STARTER: RHP AARON CIVALE (5-3, 2.61)
TODAY’S START — The right-hander makes his third start with the Rays after being acquired from Cleveland at the trade deadline in exchange for INF Kyle Manzardo on 7/30…marks his 16th start of the season, including his ninth on the road…is seeking his first win as a Ray after posting a 4.82 ERA (9.1IP, 5ER) in his first two starts with Tampa Bay… on the season, his 2.13 ERA (42.1IP, 10ER) on the road ranks second in the majors (min. 40.0IP) behind HOU J.P. France (1.92).
LAST TIME OUT — Did not factor into the decision of Tampa Bay’s 9-8 walk-off win over Cleveland on 8/11 at Tropicana Field, working 5.0 frames against his former club (5.0IP, 7H, 2ER, BB, 2SO)…the Guardians took a 1-0 lead when Ramón Laureano tagged him for a two-out RBI-single in the third inning…permitted his only other run on a fourth-inning Steven Kwan RBI-triple to the gap in right-center field…Civale allowed at least one baserunner to advance into scoring position in each of his five innings, but limited the Guardians to a 1-for-8 (.125) clip with runners in scoring position.
SAN FRAN FILES — Civale will be making his second career start against the Giants after taking the loss in his lone prior appearance opposite San Francisco, tossing 4.0 innings in his 2022 home debut on 4/17/22 (4.0IP, 4R, 3ER, BB, 5SO, HR)…this will mark his fourth career start opposite an NL West opponent, having gone 0-2 with a 4.38 ERA (12.1IP, 6ER) across his previous three outings…has recorded fewer than 5.0 innings in each of those starts.
Civale is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA (21.0IP, 9ER) in four Interleague starts this season, holding opponents to a .238 (19-for-80) average…this includes a 2.38 ERA (11.1IP, 3ER) and a 0.88 WHIP over his last two such outings (7/2 at CHC, 7/19 at PIT).
The right-hander is 2-6 with a 4.33 ERA (81.0IP, 39ER) over 15 career starts against NL opponents…he is seeking his first win in Interleague play since 5/8/21 at Cincinnati, having posted an 0-3 mark in his last eight starts since the victory.
ROAD DOG — Before yielding three runs on 8/5 at Detroit, Civale had allowed two or fewer runs in each of his first seven road outings, posting an MLB-best 1.66 ERA (38.0IP, 7ER) on the road from the beginning of the season through the end of July (min. 35.0IP)…he has allowed three or fewer runs in each of his last 10 starts as a visitor dating back to 9/20/22, the longest streak of his career, posting a 2.41 ERA (52.1IP, 14ER) in those games.
READY TO ROCK — Civale’s 0.60 ERA (30.0IP, 2ER) in the first two innings is the lowest mark in the majors (min. 15GS), outpacing MIL Wade Miley (1.90)…opponents are slashing .162/.261/.219 (17-for-105) against him in innings 1-2 compared to .260/.294/.388 (57-for-219) from the third inning on.
SUMMER HEAT WAVE — Civale was one of the AL’s top pitchers in July, going 3-0 with a 1.45 ERA (27.IP, 6ER) in six starts…he ranked among MLB leaders during the month (min. 30.0IP) in ERA (2nd), opp. OPS (2nd, .458), opp. batting average (3rd, .176) and WHIP (3rd, 0.80)…it marked his lowest ERA in any month of his career (min. 2GS), ahead of August 2019 (2.35)… allowed two or fewer runs in each start and yielded only one home run (7/14 at TEX – Nathaniel Lowe).
THIS AND THAT — Civale has held 1-7 spots in the opposing order to a .205 (54-for-263) batting average, but 8-9 hitters are batting .328 (20-for-61) against him…in his career, Civale is 27-1 with a 3.02 ERA (265.1IP, 89ER) in games when he receives 3+ runs of support…he has a 2-23 record with a 4.97 ERA (174.0IP, 96ER) in games receiving two or fewer runs of support.
In his most recent outing on 8/11 vs. Cleveland, Civale registered only three swings-and-misses, tied with 7/14/23 at Texas for the fewest in any outing of his career…all three whiffs came on his cutter.
He has produced a 14.1 pct. whiff rate through his first two outings with the Rays compared to 21.7 pct. in 13 starts with the Guardians to begin the season.
Civale ranks in the 96th percentile in the majors in curveball spin rate, registering an average of 2,970 rpm on the pitch…among AL pitchers, only HOU Ryan Pressly (3,213 rpm) and HOU Phil Maton (3,143 rpm) have produced higher marks on their curveballs (min. 100 curveballs thrown).
SEASON RECAP — Civale went 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA (12.2IP, 4ER) over his first two starts from 4/1-7, but suffered a left oblique injury on 4/7 at Seattle that landed him on the 15-day injured list from 4/10-6/2…made three rehab appearances with Triple-A Columbus from 5/18-28…was activated from the injured list on 6/2 and tossed 5.0 scoreless innings at Minnesota the same day…went 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA (22.0IP, 10ER) over his next four starts from 6/8-25, but has since recorded a 2.12 ERA (26.2IP, 11ER) across his last eight starts since the beginning of July, third best in the AL in that span behind CLE Tanner Bibee (1.82) and teammate Tyler Glasnow (2.03).
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NOTES:
TODAY’S GAME: The Giants and Rays play the final game of this three-game set this afternoon…SF is 5-8 in rubber games this year and has won six of its last eight series here at Oracle Park dating to June 19…the Giants are looking for their first series victory since taking three-of-four from Arizona here at Oracle July 31-August 3.
LIGHTS OUT: The Giants recorded their 11th shutout of the season last night with a dominant 7-0 win over the Rays…SF’s 11 shutouts are tied for third-most in the NL this season, trailing only the Brewers and Braves (both at 12)…SF pitching held Rays batters to just three hits, matching their fewest this season, and combined to strike out 15 batters, their most since fanning 17 on June 27 at Toronto.
OH, HELLO: The Giants and Rays are meeting at Oracle Park for the first time since 2019…SF is 9-8 against the Rays all-time, including a 4-4 record here at Oracle Park…according to Stats, LLC, the Giants 17 games played against the Rays all-time are the fewest in MLB…the Cubs and Brewers have played the next fewest games vs. Tampa Bay at 19 games apiece.
AGAINST THE BEST…: SF has the fourth-best record in MLB versus teams that are currently .500 or better at 36-30 (.545)… this is the second of the six straight series’ the Giants are facing an opponent above .500…SF’s remaining opponents have a combined win percentage of .521 (fifth-hardest in MLB).
AL BARRAGE: Today wraps SF’s fourth-straight Interleague series and the sixth in their last seven series…including SF’s make-up game against Detroit on July 24, seven of the Giants last eight opponents have been American League foes…SF is 3-7 in its last eight Interleague games and 18-24 vs. the American League overall…conversely, the Giants are 46-32 (.590) versus the NL this season…the Giants play all NL opponents from here on out except for one series vs. Cleveland from Sept. 11-13 at Oracle Park.
WADE’S WORLD, PARTY TIME, EXCELLENT: OF Wade Meckler lined his first career hit last night with a 6th inning single off former Giant RHP Zack Littell…the hit, which was part of a 2-for4 night for Meckler, made him the ninth Giants rookie to record a hit this season…SF’s nine rookies to record a hit this year are most in MLB.
GETTING CONFORTABLE: OF Michael Conforto is on a tear recently, reaching base in 12 of his last 16 plate appearances… over his last six games, Conforto is hitting .556 (10-for-18) with two homers, five runs scored and three RBI…if you take it back to July 28, Conforto is slashing .333/.438/.500 in 17 games…SF is 29-6 this year in games when Conforto drives in a run.
STEERING THE SHIP: Overall, the Giants are 56-42 when Conforto starts in a game and 8-14 when he doesn’t…according to Sports Info Solutions, SF’s OPS is 40 points higher in games he starts vs games he doesn’t (.710 vs .670).
DOUBLE-DIGITS FUN:IF Thairo Estrada slugged his 10th homer of the year to put the Giants on the board in the 6th inning last night…Estrada became the eighth Giant to reach double-digit home runs this season…SF’s eight different players with at least 10 homers this year are tied for third-most in MLB and their most since having a franchise-best 10 such players in 2021.
FEATURING… THE BULLPEN: RHP Ryan Walker will open for the Giants tonight in what will be his 10th start this season… Walker has a 2.40 ERA (4er, 15.0ip) with 23 strikeouts in his nine appearances as an opener this year, with SF posting a 7-2 record in those games…the bulk innings would line up for RHP Ross Stripling, who hasn’t walked a batter since July 2 (37.0ip)… Stripling’s 141 consecutive batters without allowing a walk is the longest active streak in MLB…the Giants are 16-9 when using an opener plus a bulk innings/featured pitcher this season.
Giants, Most Consec. Batters Faced w/ No BB Allowed – Since 1974 (Stats, LLC)
Player Batters Date
Jeff Samardzija 154 4/28/17-5/25/17
Bill Laskey 154 6/3/84-6/30/84
Ross Stripling 141 7/2/23-present
Player Batters Date
John Burkett 124 6/2/93-6/29/93
Sergio Romo 123 8/2/12-4/23/13
PAT THE BAT: C Patrick Bailey is having a great month after struggling at the plate in July…he has increased his OBP from .205 in July to a .413 in August (+.208)…Bailey’s .413 on-base percentage this month is the third highest among rookies (Stats, LLC).
THE LONG BALL: SF batters have homered six times over their last four games, a stretch that comes after hitting just three home runs in an eight-game span from August 2-11…Giants hitters have just 11 homers this month, tied with Chicago-AL for second-fewest in MLB behind Cleveland (five)…the Giants are 47-32 when they homer this season and 17-24 when they don’t. HOME IS
WHERE THE HEART IS: The Giants have played much better at home this year where they have posted a 35-27 (.565) record, compared to a 29-29 (.500) record on the road…SF’s recent struggles have mostly been away from Oracle Park where they are 1-10 over their last 11 road games, dating back to July 19 with a -28 run differential…in comparison they have won 11 of their last 16 home games, dating back to July 8 with a +6 run differential…SF’s .565 winning percentage at home is the ninth best in the Majors.
EASTERN TIME ZONE HERE WE COME, AGAIN: After today’s game, the Giants head to Atlanta where they will have an off day tomorrow before facing the Braves this weekend (Friday-Sunday) and playing three more games in Philadelphia (Monday-Wednesday)…it is the final time during the regular season the Giants have to head to the Eastern Time Zone. IT’S THE CLIMB: MLB.com released is updated farm system rankings yesterday…the Giants’ farm system is currently ranked at #14, three spots up from their preseason ranking at #17…SF has three prospects in MLB.com’s top-100 in LHP Kyle Harrison (20), IF Marco Luciano (27) and LHP Carson Whisenhunt (75).
