What a rough game for the Rays. They need to play their best now more than ever. As a big fan, today was really frustrating, especially knowing that the Rays are capable of doing better.
Should Glasnow have Stayed in Longer?
Lot of factors here, Glasnow is still coming off the IL and wasn’t used to pitching as much as he did today (vs his last couple starts). His curveball was also not working as well as it has been. Glasnow was really working with one pitch: his fastball. His fastball is phenomenal, high velocity, and allowed the Rays to stay alive through 4 shutout innings. However, it’s a lot tougher subduing a strong offensive lineup without your second pitch. His curveball spin-rate is elite, top 6% of the league, and he relies on it the majority of the time when he’s ahead in the count, or the batter is down 0-2. Not being able to use it to get Ks make getting outs a lot harder.
Cash took Glasnow out immediately after he gave up a 2 run homerun to Altuve. The home run pitch wasn’t bad, but it was mid fifth inning and risky to keep Glasnow in much longer anyway. It made sense to take him out.
Missed Pop Fly
I almost fell off the couch when I saw this:
What on earth was this? That is Austin Meadows ball and he probably would’ve been able to catch it. Brandon thinks he can run at it full speed and catch it from behind? That’s unacceptable and this was a high leverage situation, cost the Rays 2 runs. Austin has to be more aggressive and catch that ball.
Offense has Gone MIA
I get it, Verlander is an incredible pitcher. But this was really painful to watch. Guys are swinging all over the place, fouling balls off and barely getting a ball in play. They’re going to have to figure it out for tomorrow. If they have any hope of winning this series, they need to find a way to break through somehow.
Key to Success: Getting through to the Bullpen
Astros’ starters are unreal, Verlander and Cole in particular. If they have any hope of scoring a ton of runs, that will probably happen late in the game against the Astros’ pen. They should be more patient in at-bats against starters in particular so they can extend the pitch count to hopefully force them out earlier. Obviously that’s easier said than done (especially against such high quality pitching).
On a brighter note, the Rays showed some life in the 8th inning against the bullpen, despite being down 6-0. As long as they keep a positive mindset and don’t just give up midway through the game, they have a shot at winning.
So let’s brush off this loss and have a fresh mind tomorrow. It’s only Game 1, and the Rays can catch up. That being said, tomorrow is a must win.