Randy Arozarena comes home this week — and will even be signing autographs around town — as the Seattle Mariners give it a go at GMS. This three game series kicks off a seven game homestand against Seattle and Cleveland, with all weekday games at 7:35 pm, and then a 7:05 Saturday and 12:10 Sunday matinee.
Seattle is currently in control of the third and final wild card slot, with playoff odds of 87.1%. Despite a sweep of the Nationals, the Rays playoff odds dipped below 2% for the first time since
their downfall began in June.
In short, that means anything less than a sweep of Seattle is probably a death knell for the Rays playoff hopes.
For the first game, Seattle will send out their greybeard of the staff Luis Castillo against Shane Baz. Castillo may not be what he was in 2022-2024, as his whiffs seem to have left him, make him more of a pitch-to-contact type. He has a low arm slot and the least extension in baseball, giving him an odd look for hitters. He has a 3.75 ERA over 27 starts.
Tuesday night is the one to tune in for, as the staff aces duel it out in Bryan Woo and Drew Rasmussen. Baseball Savant thinks Woo and Rasmussen might have two of the best fastballs this season among starting pitchers, giving Woo (28 runs) and Rasmussen (31 runs) both 100th percentile rankings, i.e. the highest Fastball Run Value in the game. Woo’s 4.8% walk rate and Ras’s 5.6% are both just about as good as it gets. Break out the popcorn for this one.
Finally, on Jewish Heritage Night, George Kirby — a 2020 draft pick who made his major league debut against the Rays in 2022 — will square off against our greybeard Adrian Houser. It’s a complete unknown whether either pitcher has Jewish Heritage themselves, but Kirby is from a place called Rye, New York.
Series Notes:
- According to the team press release, as part of Monday’s pregame presentation: “The Rays will honor the recipient of the Paul Kirsch Scout of the Year Award during a pregame ceremony. Paul “PK” Kirsch was one of the “original Rays” hired in 1995 shortly after the franchise was awarded. He scouted the Northwest region and brought several valuable players into the Rays organization over his tenure, including Blake Snell and Drew Rasmussen. PK endured a long battle with ALS, which sadly ended in 2021. In his memory, the Paul Kirsch Scout of the Year Award recognizes a scout who exemplifies the qualities for which he is remembered: selflessness, charisma, creativity and resilience. This year’s recipient is Zach Clark. Since joining the organization in 2017 as a New England area scout, Zach has made an immediate and lasting impact on the Rays scouting efforts and culture, embodying many of the values that made PK an exceptional scout, teammate, friend and husband.“
- Not to be outdone by Denis Phillips, there will be a Ceremonial First Pitch thrown by Telemundo 49 Chief Meteorologist and four-time Emmy Award Winner Rubén Capote on Monday, and FOX 13 Chief Meteorologist Paul Dellegatto, which the team’s most recent press release identifies as the longest-tenured TV meteorologist in the Tampa Bay area, on Wednesday.
- Tuesday’s first pitch will be thrown by local contestant on Love Island TJ Palma.
- And before you ask, Christian Heritage night is Saturday.
