GAME #10, TAMPA BAY RAYS AT BOSTON RED SOX

[markj]

Rays @ Red Sox
Friday, April 14, 2017
7:10 pm ET • Fenway Park

Tampa Bay 5-5.........................................................Boston 5-4

Chris Archer, RHP #22
        1-0
   
2.45 ERA 13 K
The ace allowed two runs on five hits and three walks Saturday vs. the Jays while striking out eight in 7 2/3 innings for his second quality start in as many trips to the hill. Archer is 0-3 with a 7.30 ERA in five career starts at Fenway Park.

Rick Porcello, RHP #22
        1-0

4.38 ERA 13 K
The sinkerballer held his own in two starts, but he hasn't showed the dominant form that marked his Cy Young Award season last year. Porcello will try to change that against the Rays, a team he went 5-0 with a 3.07 ERA against in six starts in '16.


By Bill Chastain / MLB.com | April 13th, 2017

Fenway Park could be the setting for an early-season classic if the two pitching heavyweights live up to their billing when the Rays face the Red Sox on Friday night in the opener of a four-game series.

The series between two American League East rivals also features Jackie Robinson Day on Saturday and Patriots Day on Monday.

Chris Archer will start for the Rays on Friday, and he'll be opposed by reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello.

Porcello dominated the Rays in 2016, posting a 5-0 record with a 3.07 ERA with 46 strikeouts and five walks in six starts.

"He sinks it; last year was obviously his best year that we've seen him," Rays outfielder Steven Souza Jr. said. "In '15, I didn't think he was as sharp. He moved the ball around. Fastball command was up last year. When you throw a good sinker and your fastball command is up, you're going to get guys to get themselves out."

When the right-hander is on the mound, the Red Sox thrive, as evidenced by their 19-3 mark in his past 22 starts.

"Looking at him in [when he pitched for] Detroit, he was really a two-seam sinker dominant pitcher," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "I think when he got to Boston he kind of evolved into mixing more pitches in. Obviously, he still has the two-seamer, but he's able to ride the four-seam carry fastball up in the zone, which is something that he didn't use to do. Overall his fastball, now he's got two different fastballs you have to prepare for."

Meanwhile, Archer seems to have a different look this season. He's always had the stuff. Now his pitching acumen and location appear to be coming together as well. Boston manager John Farrell has noticed a difference, too.

"It looks like he's smoothed his delivery out a little bit," Farrell said. "Last year, I thought there was a little bit of a, not as fluid as he's showing right now. And I think it caused a number of pitches to be left up to his arm side or spike a slider. His delivery is more timely. We saw it in Spring Training. We saw it in the [World Baseball Classic] in the games he pitched. He's always had tremendous stuff, but the consistency to it has returned."

Porcello is 14-1 with a 3.04 ERA at Fenway Park since the beginning of last season. Archer went 0-2 with a 9.58 ERA in two starts at Fenway in 2016. In five career starts at the historic ballpark, Archer is 0-3 with a 7.30 ERA.

Given Archer's struggles in Boston, coupled with Porcello's success, the odds appear tipped in the Red Sox's favor. This one could be an indicator of just how much Archer has grown.

Three things to know about this game:

• Porcello's streak of 20 straight starts of six-plus innings and his streak of 15 quality starts are the longest active such marks in the Major Leagues.

• Mookie Betts has a career .348 average with two home runs and six RBIs against Archer.

• Archer's four-seam fastball averaged 94.1 mph in his opening start of 2017, a slight dip from his '16 season average of 94.9 mph. But in his last outing, Archer saw his average four-seam velocity jump up to 95.3 mph. It only averaged higher than that in five of his 33 starts last season.

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/20170413224073574/archer-porcello-set-to-duel-at-fenway-park/?game_pk=490253

[markj]

RESERVED

[markj]

Here are the pitching matchups for the Rays-Red Sox series:

Friday: RHP Chris Archer (1-0, 2.45) vs. RHP Rick Porcello (1-0, 4.38), 7:10 p.m., NESN.

Saturday: RHP Jake Odorizzi (1-1, 4.50) vs. LHP Chris Sale (0-1, 1.23), 4:05 p.m., NESN.

Sunday: RHP Alex Cobb (1-1, 3.46) vs. LHP Drew Pomeranz (1-0, 1.50), 1:35 p.m., NESN, MLB Network.

Monday: LHP Blake Snell (0-1, 5.40) vs. RHP Steven Wright (0-1, 13.50), 11:05 a.m., NESN, MLB Network.

[markj]

Don't suppose there is any sense posting lineups now. Another pitching meltdown under way. Can't believe Porcello has given up 6 and the Sox still haven't scored off Archer.

[markj]

Panda blows it with bases loaded. No wonder they're losing. Panda is now 12 for 72 with bases loaded. Pretty pathetic.

[markj]

This is ridiculous. Batting practice again. Porcello gives up back-to-back homers. Sox down 8-0.

[SeaBeachFred]

This is ridiculous. Batting practice again. Porcello gives up back-to-back homers. Sox down 8-0.

markj----read what I wrote  to longgame on the Oriole thread......THE RED SOX HAVE MADE IT A NASTY HABIT OF HELPING SLUMPING TEAMS GET WELL AT OUR EXPENSE, and this has been going on since the last couple of years under Francona and has only accelerated under Farrell.  Maybe if we can get Sale three or four runs tomorrow we can even the series.

[Rob from Mass]

With 152 left on the board I will wait before I hit the panic button.

[markj]

Another stomping courtesy of RS pitching. 25 runs and counting in the last (almost) 3 games. Still time to raise that tally tonight.

[markj]

So 10-5 final. Sad. What a lousy outing for Porcello. Let's hope he got it out of his system.

[SeaBeachFred]

With 152 left on the board I will wait before I hit the panic button.

You can wait until the cows come home for all I care, but you might consider to stop whistling past the graveyard on the way home.  Our team could be headed for real trouble.  One way out of this is maybe win the next three games of this series---at least put some efen runs on the board for Chris Sale can at least win his first game for us tomorrow.  Could the Red Sox at least do that?

[Bear]

Well, we lost another.  Sad.  So I understand Panda lost the weight so I don't think we'll ever
see him play ball the way he was expected to play.  We can't wait much longer to start
putting "W" up there; we get 10 games behind, we won't catch up.
You did a good job today Mark...Thank you.

[ipot]

Ouch again.  2 lousy outings in a row by our SPs is one thing, but this team is making a habit of waking up to hit from the 5th inning on.   

Porcello just didn't have it tonight. 
Fatso is as useless as we feared he'd be.  And that's NOT the 'in shape' guy we saw a few months ago entering spring training.  That's an 'out of shape' guy again.

[ipot]

Well, we lost another.  Sad.  So I understand Panda lost the weight so I don't think we'll ever
see him play ball the way he was expected to play.  We can't wait much longer to start
putting "W" up there; we get 10 games behind, we won't catch up.
You did a good job today Mark...Thank you.

I dunno, bear.  Panda looks overweight to me again.  He was much thinner in ST.  He put on weight, IMO. 

[Bear]

I just checked Panda'a average:
9 games .143 average.  Surely we have another player
that could do as well and even a little better.
Why is Farrell keeping him in the game?
Answer:  Because he's Farrell and he can. iono