Tampa Bay Rays

Five Tampa Bay Rays pitchers combined to throw an unofficial no-hitter against Cleveland in Game 2 of a doubleheader between the two teams on Wednesday at Tropicana Field. 

Pete Fairbanks closed out the 4-0 win by getting Harold Ramirez to fly out deep to right field in the top of the seventh. 

Collin McHugh tossed two scoreless innings before giving way to the bullpen. Josh Fleming, who was credited with the win, went 2.2 innings. Diego Castillo and Matt Wisler also got in the game before Fairbanks took over for the seventh. 

Tampa's pitching staff combined for eight strikeouts and just two walks to give the team its fourth straight win following a five-game losing streak. 

Yandy Diaz and Taylor Walls provided all of the offense for Tampa Bay with two RBI each. 

The Elias Sports Bureau, which serves as the official statistician of MLB, doesn't recognize seven-inning games as a no-hitter. That's good news for Cleveland, which is on its way to a historically-bad offensive season. 

Cleveland's lineup has now been no-hit three times in 2021. The first two came in traditional nine-inning games (Apr. 14 vs. the Chicago White Sox, May 7 vs. the Cincinnati Reds). 

Per Joe Rivera of the Sporting News, no MLB team has ever been no-hit three times in a single season. 

Since Wednesday's game won't go in the official record book, Cleveland is able to avoid making history. The current trajectory of the franchise does suggest a third no-no isn't totally out of the question. 

Cleveland's offense ranks 20th or worse in virtually every major statistical category, including runs scored (20th), batting average (26th), on-base percentage (29th) and total bases (27th). 

The Rays pitching staff had a very good overall against Cleveland's inept lineup. They only gave up one run on four hits over the course of 14 innings between the two games of the doubleheader.    

Wander Franco finally made his long-awaited MLB debut on Tuesday, and the card memorializing the moment set a new sales record, according to Darren Rovell of Action Network.

His Topps Now debut card sold 61,035 copies in one day. In his impressive first appearance, he recorded his first major league hit on a game-tying three-run home run. The Rays eventually fell to the Boston Red Sox 9-5 in 11 innings. 

JUST IN: Wander Franco debut card breaks 24 hour @Topps Now sales record. 61,305 of these cards were ordered in a single day. pic.twitter.com/joahgG1UBI

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) June 24, 2021

"In that at-bat I actually knew I was going to hit a home run because that was the pitch I was looking for,'' Franco told reporters through an interpreter after the game. "I ended up getting the pitch that I was looking for and I was able to help the team out.''

The 20-year-old was the top prospect in MLB when the Tampa Bay Rays called him up in preparation for their crucial AL East series against the Red Sox earlier this week. He hit .315 with seven home runs and 39 RBI with the Triple-A Durham Bulls earlier this year. 

The top prospect in MLB is in the minors no longer.

The Tampa Bay Rays announced Sunday that they are planning on calling up Wander Franco, who will join the team in Tampa when a crucial American League East battle begins Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times was the first to report the news.

The shortstop has appeared in 38 games for Triple-A Durham this season. The 20-year-old is slashing .315/.367/.586 with seven home runs and 35 RBI.

Wander Franco hit two more triples last night.

He has a 13-game hitting streak.

He’s hitting .423 (!!!) in June.

More here: https://t.co/kYMVsBRdnc

(🎥 @DurhamBulls)https://t.co/5wzlPMvefG

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) June 17, 2021

According to Topkin, the Rays—who have lost their last six games—gave him the news as the Durham Bulls were driving from Virginia to Jacksonville for their next series.

Tampa Bay’s recent skid dropped the Rays out of first place in the AL East. Wander Franco is a potentially transcendent sort of player — the star that the cobble-it-together Rays have lacked for a while now. First with the news of his call-up was @TBTimes_Rays

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 21, 2021

"I’m ready to play in the big leagues," Franco said in February via team interpreter Manny Navarro, per Topkin. "I’m ready to achieve the goal that I’ve been trying to achieve since I was a little kid, to make it up to the big leagues."

While he's clearly made an impact for the Bulls this season, the native of the Dominican Republic had never played above High-A ball before this season. He signed with the Rays in 2017 and debuted the following spring, earning Appalachian League Player of the Year honors at the age of 17.

He was among the players named eligible to join the Rays in their run to the 2020 World Series, though he wasn't added to the roster. He also joined the Rays for spring training this season, hitting .257 with a home run and three RBI through 16 games.

The Rays have optioned right-handed pitcher Drew Rasmussen to Triple-A. The team will still have to clear a spot on the 40-man roster by Tuesday in order to promote Franco.

The Red Sox have a half-game lead over the Rays for first place in the division.

Tampa Bay Rays pitching prospect Tyler Zombro provided an update on his health as he recovers from brain surgery.

In a series of tweets, he thanked those who have helped him at Duke University Hospital, thanked those who have offered support, thanked the Rays and Durham Bulls, and said he "can't wait to get back out there."

https://twitter.com/T_Zombro24/status/1405653282106785792

Thank you again to the entire baseball community for the support, I’m one lucky guy and can’t wait to get back out there (whenever that is)! God Bless you all! #BULLieve pic.twitter.com/NMlsyK8Q34

— Tyler Zombro (@T_Zombro24) June 17, 2021

As ESPN noted, Zombro was hit in the head by a line drive hit by Brett Cumberland during a Triple-A game between the Bulls and Norfolk Tides on June 3.

He immediately fell to the ground in a scary scene and was taken to the hospital after he was removed from the field on a stretcher.

Zombro, 26, spent five days in the intensive care unit after his surgery and is now with his family as he participates in outpatient and occupational therapy.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow has been diagnosed with a partially torn UCL and a strained flexor tendon, according to multiple reports.

#Rays Glasnow update:
Glasnow underwent a MRI this morning in Chicago, which revealed a partial UCL tear as well as flexor strain. A timeline for his return will be determined after further medical evaluation.

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) June 15, 2021

Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament and a flexor tendon strain. The plan for now is to try to rehab the injury to avoid Tommy John and eventually return, but it’s a brutal blow for Glasnow, who’s been phenomenal, and the MLB-best Rays.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 15, 2021

Glasnow left Monday night's start after four innings with what was described as right elbow inflammation.

He was placed on the 10-day injured list, with a timeline for recovery to be determined. 

"The last couple of pitches I felt just a little tug," Glasnow told reporters after the game. "I didn't want to go out and chance it. The velo was still there; it just felt not right."

"It just felt not right," Tyler Glasnow.

After experiencing some tightness in his right elbow, Tyler said that rather than push it and try to go back out for another inning he thought the safest thing to do was come out.#MLB #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/pHdT5CWLbW

— Rays on FanDuel Sports Network (@FanDuelSN_Rays) June 15, 2021

Tyler Glasnow just went off about the midseason crackdown. He stopped using sunscreen a couple starts ago and felt sore afterwards due to difficulty with grip. Same last night. Says it contributed to his current injury. He’s hopeful to be back at the end of the season.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) June 15, 2021

Glasnow just gave a very honest rant:

"I just threw 80 something innings & you just told me I can't use anything. I have to change everything.

I truly believe 100% that's why I got hurt. I'm frustrated MLB doesn't understand. You can't just tell us to use nothing. It's crazy."

— Tricia Whitaker (@TriciaWhitaker) June 15, 2021

It's a huge loss for the 43-24 Rays. Glasnow, 27, is 5-2 this season with a 2.66 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 123 strikeouts in 88 innings. While Gerrit Cole, Lance Lynn and Shane Bieber are the early favorites to win the American League Cy Young Award, Glasnow was putting together a season that would have had him in the running.

We have pitchers with "partial UCL tears" pitching in the big leagues right now, who never had surgery. But this is still a big blow for the Rays.

They just went to the World Series with Glasnow, Snell & Morton - and now face life with none of the above. https://t.co/rOMcHd9PZW

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) June 15, 2021

The Rays will be without their ace for the time being, meaning starters Rich Hill, Ryan Yarbrough and Shane McClanahan will need to step up. The Rays bullpen remains one of the best units in baseball (3.03 ERA, third in MLB), while the offense has been excellent (five runs per game, sixth in MLB).

Tampa Bay is built to continue winning, even without its ace. But if he needs surgery or cannot return this season, the team's World Series hopes will take a severe blow.

Tampa Bay Rays minor leaguer Tyler Zombro is "still progressing in the right direction," according to Rays manager Kevin Cash.

Cash told reporters Zombro is able to get out of his hospital bed and walk around with some assistance.

The right-handed reliever was pitching for the Triple-A Durham Bulls on Thursday night when he took a line drive to the head. The Bulls and Norfolk Tides called the game in the eighth inning due to his injury.

Tonight's game has been postponed. pic.twitter.com/eHBU3NwCgX

— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) June 4, 2021

The Rays said Friday that Zombro remained at Duke University Hospital and that he was in stable condition.

Rays reliever Ryan Sherriff called the moment Zombro was injured "one of the most traumatic things I've ever experienced in my life."

"Very chilling," he said. "I spent my offseason with Zombro. We worked out together. And it really hit home to me after everything that I saw. I wish him the best. I wish his family the best. Just hope he is doing great."

Zombro, who attended George Mason, signed with the Rays in June 2017. He quickly rose up through the ranks and reached the Triple-A level in 2019.

Through nine appearances for the Bulls in 2021, he has a 1-1 record, nine strikeouts and a 3.18 ERA over 11.1 innings.

Friday's Triple-A game between the Durham Bulls and Norfolk Tides has been postponed following a severe head injury to Tampa Bay Rays prospect Tyler Zombro during Thursday's outing.

Tonight's game has been postponed. pic.twitter.com/eHBU3NwCgX

— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) June 4, 2021

The Bulls' reliever was struck in the head by a line-drive a few pitches after taking the mound in the eighth inning and reportedly collapsed face first before convulsing on the mound. He was quickly taken off the field on a stretcher and transported to a local hospital. 

Officials initially suspended play on Thursday before deciding to call the game following the incident. 

The 26-year-old right-hander was taken to Duke University Hospital and remains in "stable condition" under the care of the medical staff at the facility. According to the Rays, overnight updates on Zombro's condition have been "positive." The Major League Club will continue to provide information on the pitcher's status as available.

An update from @RaysBaseball on @T_Zombro24: pic.twitter.com/zk77s8z3tV

— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) June 4, 2021

Zombro was making his 10th appearance of the season with Durham after being promoted to Triple-A at the end of April. Heading into Thursday's action, the righty had tallied nine strikeouts and one walk in 11.1 innings pitched with four earned runs for a 1.41 WHIP. 

No makeup date has been determined for the Bulls and Tides. 

Tampa Bay Rays pitching prospect Tyler Zombro was struck in the head with a line drive during Thursday's outing for the Triple-A Durham Bulls against the Norfolk Tides leading the teams to suspend the game in the eighth inning once the severity of the situation became clear. 

Tonight’s game has been suspended in the 8th inning after Bulls pitcher Tyler Zombro was hit by a batted ball.

Prayers to @T_Zombro24

— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) June 4, 2021

Zombro was five pitches into his outing during the eighth inning when he was hit with a line drive straight off the bat of Brett Cumberland. Zombro was transported to a local hospital for additional treatment. A short while later, the game was officially called. 

Rays statement on Tyler Zombro pic.twitter.com/rn3yjPvtWv

— William Boor (@wboor) June 4, 2021

According to Chris Lea of WRAL-TV, Zombro fell straight to the ground and began convulsing as trainers rushed to assist him. He was eventually taken off on a stretcher as players for both teams took a knee on the field. 

Durham Bulls pitcher Tyler Zombro took a line drive into the head, fell face first and started convulsing on the ground. The game has stopped as players are praying and kneeling on the field. Stretcher is out at the DBAP.

— Chris Lea - Sportscaster (@ChrisLeaTV) June 4, 2021

The 26-year-old was making his 10th appearance of the season for Durham, where he'd gone 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched. Zombro entered the night with nine strikeouts on one walk with just four earned runs and a 1.41 WHIP. 

Tampa Bay invited Zombro to spring training in both 2020 and 2021. He was promoted to Durham on April 30 from the Montgomery Biscuits. 

After two months, only one of Major League Baseball's six divisions features four teams above the .500 mark.

It's the American League East, and it's wild.

With 16 wins in their last 17 games, the reigning American League champion Tampa Bay Rays are back atop the division. Breathing down their necks are the Boston Red Sox, who are clearly determined to make up for their last-place finish in 2020.

Yet the big surprise in the AL East is the relative mediocrity of the New York Yankees. They came into the year as a presumed World Series contender and are still in that conversation, but they've been sidetracked by injuries and a wave of losses punctuated by a three-game sweep by the lowly Detroit Tigers over Memorial Day weekend.

Though the Yankees still have four months to turn their fortunes around, the seriousness of their problems and the difficulty of the road ahead don't paint a rosy picture.

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AL East Standings

1. Tampa Bay Rays, 35-20
2. Boston Red Sox, 32-21 (2.0 GB)
   
3. New York Yankees, 29-25 (5.5 GB)
   
4. Toronto Blue Jays, 27-25 (6.5 GB)
   
5. Baltimore Orioles, 17-37 (17.5 GB)
   

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The Yankees Are Banged Up and Lack Bang on Offense

On Opening Day, FanGraphs pegged the Yankees' chances of winning the AL East at a sturdy 71.0 percent. Even as recently as May 12, they were still as high as 67.8 percent.

Now they're at 28.0 percent.

That reflects the size of the bite that the injury bug has taken out of the Yankees. They just welcomed slugger Giancarlo Stanton back from a left quad strain Friday, and now reigning MLB home run leader Luke Voit (right oblique strain), starting pitcher Corey Kluber (right shoulder strain) and center fielder Aaron Hicks (left wrist surgery) are due to miss extended time.

The Yankees staff might be able to weather the loss of Kluber. Mainly courtesy of a Cy Young Award-caliber season by $324 million ace Gerrit Cole, the club ranks first in the AL with a 3.22 ERA. And in the coming weeks, starter Luis Severino (see here) and ace reliever Zack Britton (here) are due back from their Tommy John and elbow surgeries.

However, the Yankees are shockingly deficient in other aspects of the game. Neil Paine of FiveThirtyEight wrote all about the club's issues with defense, baserunning and situational hitting, yet nothing looms as large as its baffling shortage of offensive firepower.

To wit, the Yankees are only in the middle of the pack with 62 home runs and third from the bottom with a .371 slugging percentage. You'd never know they still have many of the same members of a unit that slugged .490 with 306 home runs just two years ago.

The injuries obviously haven't helped. Nor is it helping that DJ LeMahieu and Clint Frazier are having down years after lighting things up in 2020. Then there's the curious case of Gleyber Torres, who's gone from 62 homers in his first two seasons to just five over his last two.

Yet there are also foundational issues.

For instance, the Yankees' ground-ball percentage is up 4.2 points from 2019. They're also striking out 24.9 percent of the time, compared to 23.0 percent in 2019 and 21.7 percent just last year.

The Yankees are part of a leaguewide issue in the latter regard, yet what's unique about their strikeout problem is how it derives from misses on hittable pitches. Whereas their rate of contact outside the strike zone is only down from 61.4 to 60.1 percent since 2019, their contact percentage inside the zone has fallen from 85.0 to 82.0 percent.

Even more so than manager Aaron Boone, such things ought to have Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames on the hot seat. But even if he were to be relieved of duty, the Yankees would still have holes at first base and center field by way of Voit's and Hicks' injuries. General manager Brian Cashman may need to fill those on the trade market.

Either way, the Yankees are running out of time to be patient.

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The Rays Are Just Really Good

You only have to go back to May 12 to find a time when the Rays were a mere .500 team (19-19, to be exact) that was looking up at three clubs in the AL East.

But in the weeks since then, they've looked a lot more like the team that won an AL-high 40 games and pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers to six games in the 2020 World Series.

It's perhaps easiest to notice the Rays' excellence when they're in the field. They lead the American League in defensive runs saved and all of MLB in outs above average. And while the guys with the gloves deserve the lion's share of the credit for that, manager Kevin Cash and the club's analytics department deserve some for opponents' .198 average on ground balls against shifted or strategic infield alignments.

Though Tyler Glasnow has certainly carried the rotation with a 2.57 ERA and 98 strikeouts over 70 innings, it's also to Cash's credit that the pitching staff has withstood the offseason departures of Blake Snell and Charlie Morton as well as it has.

Even after he got roasted for his quick hook of Snell in Game 6 of the Fall Classic, Cash has stuck to his guns and limited his starters to only 4.8 innings per outing. Yet he's had a good feel for when to extend them, as the 178 instances in which they've faced a hitter for a third time in a game have yielded an AL-low .544 OPS.

On days when his starters don't go deep, Cash is liable to make up the difference by having the next guys up go more than one inning at a time. The Rays lead MLB with 62 relief appearances that resulted in more than three outs, and 51 of those also yielded one or zero earned runs.

And don't sleep on the Rays offense.

Sure, it has the second-highest strikeout rate in MLB behind only the Tigers. But it's nonetheless scoring five runs per game, and it's been one of the hottest in baseball since May 13.

That's not because the strikeouts have dissipated. It's more so because Rays hitters have been racking up walks and home runs, and many of the latter spring from a specific quality.

Since May 13, only the Red Sox and Minnesota Twins have done a better job than the Rays of pulling the ball in the sweet spot. So far this season, batted balls that match that description have a 1.396 slugging percentage.

If all this isn't a strong enough indication that the Rays are in the race to stay, consider what's become of their chances of winning the division. Since May 12, they've skyrocketed from 3.5 to 36.1 percent.

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The Red Sox Are Holding Course, And the Blue Jays Are Lingering

As the Yankees have fallen and the Rays have risen, it's perhaps been easy to lose sight of the Red Sox. But rest assured, they're still there.

Though it's been a while since the Red Sox's nine-game winning streak in April, they've continued to stay well above water with a 23-18 record over their last 41 games. They've subsisted on superb offense from J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers as well as a Matt Barnes-led bullpen that's better than it gets credit for.

With ace left-hander Chris Sale due back from Tommy John surgery sometime this summer, the Red Sox might not need to seek help on the trade market for a rotation that is paper-thin. As it is, Boston is right there with New York and Tampa Bay with a 23.2 percent chance to win the AL East.

Lest anyone think we're forgetting about them, the Toronto Blue Jays may yet crash the party.

They've been up and down, and they're about to be tested as they leave behind their hitter-friendly digs at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, for more of a controlled environment at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York. The move could squeeze a home run flow that's thus far helped pour out an AL-high 77 long balls.

On the flip side, that venue switch could be a boon to a pitching staff that has the second-best road ERA (3.57) of any AL team. And at some point, $150 million signee George Springer (right quad strain) should get healthy and help Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Marcus Semien carry the lineup.

At 12.7 percent, the Blue Jays' chances of winning the AL East aren't much to look at. But that's also not bad for a club that almost certainly hasn't peaked yet—and which almost certainly will eventually.

Only Baltimore Orioles fans should give up on winning the AL East. For everyone else, it's the best four-horse race in town.

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Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs and accurate through Monday's games.

While the Tampa Bay Rays are in first place in the American League East on the field, there is reportedly plenty of turmoil in the ownership group off it.

On Monday, Josh Solomon and Emily L. Mahoney of the Tampa Bay Times reported a group of the team's minority owners filed a lawsuit against principal owner Stuart Sternberg. The suit is seeking more than $30,000 in damages and for his company to be expelled as general partner.

The lawsuit states Sternberg has schemed relentlessly to acquire more control of the Rays and in 2014 began secret negotiations to sell an interest in the team to Montreal investors.

City officials told Solomon and Mahoney that the alleged negotiations may have violated the Rays' exclusivity clause with their Tropicana Field lease, which requires the team to play all its home games there through the 2027 campaign and not negotiate to play somewhere else.

The suit states Sternberg has increased his stake in the team to 85 percent from the 49 percent he had in 2004. According to the suit, he did so by negotiating "a secret series of contracts" with previous managing partner Vince Naimoli and, as he continued to acquire stakes, began "secretly negotiating" with Canadian businessman Stephen Bronfman and his Montreal Baseball Group in 2014.

He also allegedly forced some partners to sell their shares to him at less than their value and then transferred "the entire baseball club and franchise" to a new company under his management without telling the other partners.

Solomon and Mahoney noted the Rays and the city of St. Petersburg are negotiating about the team's future and where it will play starting in 2028. Part of the negotiation is about whether there will be a new stadium and if the club will play a split season in St. Petersburg and Montreal, which hasn't been home to an MLB team since the Expos left to become the Washington Nationals after the 2004 season.

"The residents of St. Petersburg and fans of the Rays should not be made to wait any longer for clarity related to the future of the team in Tampa Bay or redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site," St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said in a statement.

The Rays have played at Tropicana Field since their inaugural season in 1998, when they were the Devil Rays.

They have reached two World Series and played in the playoffs six times. The 2021 team has an opportunity to add to that following a 30-19 start and is a half-game ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.