Dansby Swanson homers off of Glasnow in the second on a pitch right down the middle. Glasnow didn’t really have his curveball command yet and had missed a few fastballs down the heart of the plate. So naturally, I was thinking “gee, this is going to be a long game”. A long game it was, but not for the Rays.
I did not expect this at all. The Rays had an explosive game against the Braves last night. They scored 8 runs in the 4th inning alone. It’s like the Rays woke up Monday morning and said to themselves “okay, we’re ready to start hitting now”.
Even when the Braves answered back with some runs, the Rays came back even harder. They continued to put men into scoring position and putting pressure on the Braves.
They finally got through to starting pitcher Mike Foltynewicz, forced him out and then continued putting together great at-bats against the Braves bullpen. The Rays finished the game with 14 runs, final score 14-5.
One thing that was noted by the Rays broadcasters was that Foltynewicz’s velocity was down from a year ago. He struggled for the first half of 2019, and the Braves are depending on him to be solid this entire season. There’s a lot of pressure for him to do well, especially with Cole Hamels out.
Braves Adjusting to the Trop
The Braves made it obvious they don’t play at Tropicana field very often.
First, Acuña lost a foul pop fly in right field. Then, three time gold glove winner Ender Inciarte lost a long triple to the centerfield wall.
That triple by Brandon Lowe ended up scoring two runs.
In the 7th, Freddie Freeman also fell victim to the Trop. He took a weird route to get a foul pop fly and ended up in the bullpen while trying to track down the ball in the roof.
In the Braves defense, even the Rays struggle against the Trop sometimes. In the 8th inning, Rays pitcher Beeks lost a foul pop fly in the roof.
Tyler Glasnow finds his Groove
Glasnow started shaky but settled in after the second inning. His curveball command in the first couple innings wasn’t consistent, and he was missing spots with his fastball. Thankfully, the Braves hitters missed a handful of mistakes down the middle.
In the third and fourth inning, however, Glasnow improved significantly. He looked like that elite pitcher he is, getting his curveball where he wanted and blowing his fastball past hitters. It was great to watch. Check out this highlight reel:
It was particularly great to see him get better as the game progressed. The early struggles didn’t slow him down, he just kept going out there and fighting until he had it his way. He ended up with 9 strikeouts in 4 innings. Absolutely wild.
I never realized how quick Glasnow’s pace is. The second the catcher tosses him the ball back he’s ready to go. Noticed it when he was struggling in the first (I was hoping he would just relax and take a breath).
The Rays finished the night with 19 strikeouts, a franchise record for a nine inning game. They’re pitching was working, they’re hitting was working, and it was a really fun game to watch. Let’s get some more like that!