4 Biggest Takeaways for Rays From Series Against Brewers
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The Tampa Bay Rays wrapped up their second series of the season, this time on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Disappointingly, there were some similarities to this three-game set as there were in their first one against another National League Central squad, the St. Louis Cardinals. The Rays lost both series, sitting at 2-4, but feeling as if they should be, at worst, 3-3 on the season.
How did Tampa Bay lose another series to begin the campaign? Here are four of the biggest takeaways for the Rays from their three games against the Brewers.
Offense Needs More Contact
Milwaukee’s pitching staff did a great job last season of striking out opponents. Their 1,432 strikeouts were the fifth most in the MLB. Tampa Bay was a middle-of-the-road team when it came to strikeouts last season, but in this series, they struggled putting the ball in play constantly.
After approaching a record for singles that is more than seven decades old against the Cardinals, their bats went quiet against the Brewers. In 98 at-bats, Rays hitters struck out 33 times.
The only player who received an at-bat in the series who didn’t strike out was Richie Palacios. Everyone else went down on strikes at least once.
On the bright side, Tampa Bay did hit five home runs in the series with three doubles and one triple. They also drew seven walks, becoming a true three-outcome team, but that isn’t how they were built to succeed.
Bullpen Woes
This is the most troubling development early in the season. The Rays would have at least one, if not two, more victories if their bullpen were not so susceptible to meltdowns early in the year.
Griffin Jax has been the biggest culprit. Expected to be a key part of the team’s high-leverage pitching situation, he has struggled mightily. In four outings, he has surrendered eight runs, five of which have been earned.
He hasn’t gotten a ton of help from his defense at points, but he has been incapable of stopping the bleeding once things start to unravel, either.
Cole Sulser also surrendered multiple runs in this series, as no early lead looks safe right now with how the relief staff is performing.
How Long Will Cedric Mullins Start?
When Tampa Bay signed Cedric Mullins this offseason, they were hoping he could return to form and help stabilize the outfield. It is still too early to make sweeping assessments, but things could not have started worse.
He went 0-for-7 against the Brewers with six strikeouts. His slash line this season is .048/.078/.095 thus far through six games and 21 at-bats. Kevin Cash isn’t going to throw the towel in yet, but it is fair to wonder how long of a leash Mullins will have.
If Jacob Melton ever catches fire in Triple-A, the heat will be on Mullins.
Starting Pitching Can Be a Strength
There were some question marks about the team’s starting rotation coming into the season. Workload concerns were legitimate, and Ryan Pepiot began the year on the injured list. But this was the strength of the team against Milwaukee.
Nick Martinez, Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen were excellent against the Brewers. They combined to throw 15.2 innings, surrendering five earned runs on 10 hits and four walks. 15 strikeouts were recorded as they navigated some tough moments.
It was awesome seeing McClanahan back on a Major League mound after such a long layoff. He is projected to be toeing the rubber for the team’s home opener on April 6.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.