When Chris Archer returned to Tampa Bay as a free agent, he said one of the first things he told general manager Erik Neander was that he was willing to work in any role that was best for the team. Most of the time, that will mean being a starting pitcher, as it always has been. That could also mean pitching after an opener.
When Archer officially returns to the Rays on Saturday, it will mean throwing the bullpen after Rich Hill, another veteran starter brought on board in the off-season. Hill is scheduled to start against the Marlins at loanDepot Park on Saturday night (6:10 ET, live on MLB.TV), and Archer is also scheduled to pitch at some point in the game.
The two veterans will be separated to play on different days next time by rotation, but this arrangement made sense for both, given Rays ‘early schedule and their attention to the pitchers’ workload this season. Tampa Bay has a day off on Sunday and another day on Thursday, so there was no need to start the season with a traditional five-person rotation.
Instead, Hill and Archer can relax in the season, each throwing a handful of innings in a kind of tandem start – one that could be quite effective given the different challenges they each face on the mound.
“I think that’s the goal for this first game, to have that contrast, to allow us not to try to carry too much load right out of the goal, and I’m looking forward to that,” Archer said. “I look forward to following him and whenever my number rings, I’ll go in there and leave.”
Manager Kevin Cash said he will talk to pitching coach Kyle Snyder to get an idea of what use Hill and Archer are up to and who could return to more pitches when they are split next time. The rays understand the value of throwing different glances at opposing strikers and do not differ much from Hill and Archer. Hill is a left-hander who relies on his curve and a fast ball that has averaged 89-90 mph in recent years, while Archer throws in the mid-90s with a glider as the main breaking ball.
“It just comes out and runs,” Hill said. “I think the complementary part will be great, but again, it goes there and prepares to be executed. That’s it. This is really the biggest thing for me, for Chris, for everyone. ”
Archer has not come out of the bullpen in a regular season game since September 29, 2012, but he had an idea of what to prepare for in Spring Training. On March 19, Hill worked 2 innings 2/3 against the Red Sox, then Archer took over in the fourth and worked two clean innings with two hits.
Archer said that despite the results, he did not feel physically prepared for that outing. So don’t be surprised if you see Archer moving around the bullpen throughout the game or playing long throws in the outside field between innings.
Archer said he will be so focused on his training, in fact, that the meaning of returning to the mound with the Rays uniform for the first time in 2018 may not sink even after he has finished pitching.
“There will be an additional nostalgia, but it will probably be more from the point of view of reflection, because when I have a job to do. And it’s a bit of a foreign job, so I’m going to have to focus on that, “Archer said. “I’m glad I got rid of all this in the spring. I’ve already thrown in several games. I’m already out of the bullpen. So right now, I just have to go there and run, and I’d really be looking forward to doing that in blue. ”
• Cash previously said that Rays intends to involve all position players immediately, and this proved to be true on Friday, when he mixed the bottom half of the team. Joey Wendle got the start in the shortstop, Manuel Margot in the center and Francisco Mejía behind the plate, while Willy Adames, Kevin Kiermaier and Mike Zunino did not start. The top five hitters remained the same: Yoshi Tsutsugo, Austin Meadows, Randy Arozarena, Brandon Lowe and Yandy Diaz.
• Thursday was the 37th 1-0 win in the club’s history, but only for the second time in the franchise’s history did the Rays close on opening day, joining their 7-0 victory over the Twins in 2000. 44 1-0 closures on the opening day, and the Rays became the first club in the American League to win a 1-0 game as a visiting team on the opening day of the 1946 Indians.
• Glasnow Opening Day’s dominant start was the ninth unbeaten start since joining the Rays. He didn’t have any before he moved to Tampa Bay.
• On Thursday, Austin Meadows became the fourth player in the Rays with more wins on opening day, joining Evan Longoria (four), Gerald Williams and Ben Zobrist (both). It was the ninth time since at least 1901 when a lone run was the only round of an opening game and only the third time that was true for an AL team.