“The Stable” will face “The Savages” – Rays Pitching vs Yankees Lineup
The Tampa Bay Rays pitching swept through the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wildcard series, setting the table for an ALDS matchup with the New York Yankees that starts today. The Rays won the AL East by a healthy 7 games over New York, but the season series between the two was far more heated than the standings suggest.
The most memorable of the 2020 season matchups, was a game on September 1st. A 9-6 Yankees win was highlighted by an Aroldis Chapman fastball that buzzed Tampa third-baseman, Mike Brosseau in the final at-bat of the game. Capping an already intense game, the at-bat ended with a strikeout, chirping, and the benches clearing. In the postgame press conference, Rays manager Kevin Cash, famously deemed his pitching staff “a stable full of guys that throw 98 MPH.” Cash’s stable should be on full display in the best of 5 ALDS, especially since there will be no off-days unil the Series is complete.
The stable is led by three ace-caliber starters in Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Charlie Morton. Snell has been considered the Ace of this stellar staff for a few years now, having won the 2018 AL Cy Young Award. Snell might not have a 98 MPH fastball, but sitting at 95 as a lefty is still fierce. Snell posted 3.24 ERA in 50 innings with 63 strikeouts in 2020. He’ll take the ball in Game One of the Division Series, and though the velo might be tame compared to the rest of the staff, his devastating slider is his best pitch. Snell and Gerrit Cole make a compelling Game 1 to start the highly-anticipated series.
Tyler Glasnow is scheduled for Game 2 and he is somewhat of an evolving Ace for Tampa Bay. His fastball ticks up to the likes of the noted 98+, averaging 97 MPH, and topping at 99, per Statcast. Glasnow was the headlining return in the Chris Archer shipment to Pittsburgh, and is now one of the top pieces to the Rays pitching staff. In his start on Tuesday, look for high strikeouts (Glasnow ranks in 97th-perrcentile in K%), a filthy 12-6 curveball, and lots of swing-and-miss.
The veteran Charlie Morton will start game 3. Morton does not showcase the velocity of the other two anymore (despite blossoming for the past few years), but his secondary stuff is just as good. Despite his age, Morton (36), still posts great strikeout numbers (9.9 K/9), thanks to his signature sinker and sweeping curveball.
The remaining horses in the stable ironically come out of the bullpen, and to Cash’s point, it’s a long list of hard-hurlers and strikeout artists. Some of the headliners to watch for: Nick Anderson, Pete Fairbanks, Shane McClanahan, Ryan Yarbrough, and Diego Castillo. The Rays come into this ALDS missing one of their top bullpen options, Chaz Roe. However, their three starters can match up with anyone and the bullpen is still very deep. The Tampa/New York series will be a feast for baseball fans. Not only will we see this rivalry renewed, but we’ll get another edition of the Stable vs the Savages.
