GameDay Preview: Rays Look to Set Defensive Record in Series Finale vs. Royals
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A lot of good things have been happening during this recent 7-2 hot streak by the Tampa Bay Rays, but there's been one little nugget that's been overlooked.
They haven't made a single error in any of the nine games.
That nine-game errorless streak is one shy of tying the club record of 10 games, which has been done three times, from April 23–May 3, 2008, Aug 24–Sep 4, 2010 and July 28–Aug 7, 2011. The current nine-game run is the longest in-season streak since Aug 16-25, 2017.
That recent success doesn't surprise Rays manager Kevin Cash, despite a few ugly stretches defensively earlier in the year.
"There was never really a concern defensively,'' Cash said. "We've got a very strong unit that goes out there every day. I know we had a few fluke plays that came up in back-to-back-to-back games that will lead to some questions, but ultimately, we've got a lot of confidence in our defense.''
The Rays have made only four errors in their last 25 games, the fewest in the majors since June 24. That's a huge improvement from the previous window, where they made 24 errors in 31 games from May 20 to June 23, the third-most in the majors behind only the Colorado Rockies (28) and Cincinnati Reds (27). Their 44 errors through June 23 were the ninth-most in the majors.
It's helped that Walls is playing every day at shortstop, and Brandon Lowe is back at second all the time. That consistency helps, and Cash loves all that Walls brings to the shortstop spot anyway.
"He plays with a lot of confidence and he gets as good a jump and anticipates where the ball is going as anyone in baseball,'' Cash said.
The teams have split the first two games of the series, so the Rays will look to win their fifth series in six tries. Jeffrey Springs will pitch for the Rays, and Cash said he is good to go with no pitch restrictions after being derailed with a calf injury for 19 days.
Here's how to watch Sunday's game, along with starting lineups, pitching bios and more:
How to watch Rays at Royals
- Who: Tampa Bay Rays (52-42) at Kansas City Royals (37-57)
- When: 2:10 p.m. ET, Sunday, July 24
- Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
- TV: Bally Sports Sun
- Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
- Announcers: Dewayne Staats (play-by-play), Doug Waechter (color commentary) and Tricia Whitaker (reporter).
- Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM, SiriusXM Channel 183 (Royals announcers; Rays online)
- Announcers: Andy Freed and Dave Wills.
- Latest line: The Rays are favored at minus-154 on the money line in according to the Fanduel.com website line as of Sunday morning. The Royals are plus-130. The over/under is 8.5.
Projected pitchers
- JEFFREY SPRINGS, RAYS: Jeffrey Springs is 3-2 on the season with a 2.65 earned run average, and has emerged as a pleasant surprise in the Rays' starting rotation after spending the first month in the bullpen. He's had five scoreless outings already since getting stretched out, but he has struggled a bit in his last three outings before going on the injured list with a strained calf. In his last three starts — from June 18 to July 5 — he has given up 10 earned runs in 14 1/3 innings, and his ERA has jumped from 1.45 to 2.53. It's been 19 days since he pitched in a big-league game, but he did throw three innings of a simulated game in Port Charlotte last week and felt great, Cash said.
- KRIS BUBIC, ROYALS: Kris Bubic has struggled this season, posting a 1-6 record with a 5.87 ERA so far with the Royals. He has made 14 starts, and his only win came on June 20 against the Los Angeles Angels. He was very good in his last start, however, holding that powerful Toronto Blue Jays lineup to just five hits and two unearned runs in seven innings. The left-hander is 24 years old and a native of Cupertino, Calif., and this is his third season with the Royals.
Projected lineups
- TAMPA BAY RAYS: Yandy Diaz DH, Randy Arozarena LF, Luke Raley 1B, Isaac Paredes 3B, Christian Bethancourt C, Josh Lowe RF, Yu Chang 2B, Taylor Walls SS, Roman Quinn CF, Jeffrey Springs P.
- KANSAS CITY ROYALS: Whit Merrifield 2B, Andrew Benintendi LF, Bobby Witt Jr. SS, Hunter Dozier RF, Vinnie Pasquantino DH, Michael Taylor CF, Emmanuel Rivera 3B Nick Pratto 1B, Cam Gallagher C, Kris Bubic P.
Newsy nuggets
- 1. PATINO SENT BACK TO DURHAM: Luis Patino, Saturday night's starting pitcher for the Rays, was sent back down to Triple-A Durham on Sunday morning to make room on the roster for Springs. The 22-year-old, who has dealt with an oblique injury and blisters during his rehab, made two starts for the Rays this month, but gave up five earned runs in 7 1/3 innings. He's a big part of the Rays' future, so ''there is still work to be done,'' Cash said. "But we know he's a going to be guy that can help us and we are incredibly optimistic about his future, both this year and going forward.''
- 2. SPRINGS IS FULL-GO: Even through Springs has been away from the team for most of these 19 days, Cash said they aren't worried about him not going deep in the game today. He's healthy, and his baby son Stetson, who was hospitalized for a few weeks, is home and doing well too. "He's been able to keep his arm going in the down time and the calf subsided pretty quickly. There are no restrictions (about pitch count on Sunday),'' Cash said.
- 3. HOT, HOT, HOT: Saturday night’s first-pitch temperature was 99 degrees, the highest for a Rays game since Aug 31, 2011 at Texas, when it was 102 degrees. It was 95 degrees at first pitch on Friday. It is expected to be slightly cooler on Sunday, with a projected first-pitch temperature of 90 degrees.
- 4. ROYALS VISIT: The Rays will host the Royals for four games from Aug. 18 to Aug. 21 at Tropicana Field.
Watch Kevin Cash's pregame press conference
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