Game 1: Coming off a World Series trip the 2021 Rays face a lot of questions given the roster turnover which featured their top two starters (Blake Snell and Charlie Morton) departing for elsewhere. Was Randy Arozarena a postseason fluke? Can aging, fragile vets like Rich Hill, Chris Archer and Colin McHugh give them meaningful innings? When will Wander Franco be up? We'll try and answer all those questions and see how 2021 goes. The season opened in Miami, and since it's Opening Day I'll post the boxscore below. As you can see, Tyler Glasnow was electric, the offense wasn't but scratched out two runs, and the Rays took a 2-0 win to start the season. Yoshi Tsutsugo, a flop last season (which was accurately predicted in my main save) was the hitting hero today with a pair of doubles including one which drove in Austin Meadows who had also doubled in the 4th and then after his 7th inning double he scored on a Mike Brosseau sac fly. After Glasnow's 7 shutout innings, Diego Castillo pitched himself into a jam in the 8th, loading the bases with one out but getting a fly ball double play to get out of it when Kevin Kiermaier gunned down Jorge Alfaro at home plate. Nick Anderson was dominant in the 9th for the save.
Here's the box:
Game 2: Whereas yesterday the Rays relied on a dominant outing from a starter today it was the bullpen and bats which came through in a 6-4 win over Miami. Ryan Yarbrough started and he wasn't terribly effective, going 4.2 9 4 4 0 4 in coughing up a 4-2 lead before he could qualify for a win. But Yarbrough was effective with the bat, delivering a 2-run single which put the Rays up 3-0 early so the day wasn't a total loss for him. Chaz Roe gave up the hit to score the tying run in the 5th but got the final out and was credited with the win when the Rays scored twice in the 6th on a 2-RBI bases-loaded single from Kevin Kiermaier (who also had another outfield assist today). Then the bullpen took over, and while the starting rotation may have its question marks the pen is loaded like it was last year and the key arrival in the Blake Snell deal, Luis Patino, came through big. He pitched 2 electric innings, striking out the side in the 6th to go with a scoreless 7th in which he picked up another whiff. Pete Fairbanks had a 1-2-3 8th in his season debut and Nick Anderson got it done again in the 9th against his old team with a 1-2-3 inning for save #2. The Rays also scored on a Willy Adames groundout and Mike Zunino's homer in the 4th, the first of the year for the team.
Game 3: Chris Archer returned to the mound in a Rays uniform for the first time in three years and it turned out not to be as triumphant as he or Rays fans had hoped as Miami took a 4-3 win. Archer was victimized by one of his old Rays teammates, Corey Dickerson, for a 3-run homer in the first and although the Rays battled back to tie it up Archer was hit for another run in the 5th and had an unappetizing 4.1 5 4 4 3 3 line. The bullpen was great again with Chaz Roe whiffing 4 in 1 2/3 scoreless and Michael Wacha made his Rays debut with a pair of shutout innings. The offense couldn't generate much outside of the 3-run rally in the 3rd that saw a 2-run single from Manuel Margot and an RBI single from Brandon Lowe as they only managed 5 hits for the entire game.
Team record: 2-1. Next up: An off-day then we head to Fenway for 3 games.