6-21-24 – By Ethan Smith – @mvp_EtHaN
The Pittsburgh Pirates, coming off of four series victories in their past five series, welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to PNC for City Connect Weekend.
Pittsburgh got a massive series victory over the Cincinnati Reds to kick off their week, a series that featured a ton of great pitching and a clutch moment from Bryan Reynolds to secure the series win.
The Rays enter the series versus Pittsburgh coming off of a series victory over the Minnesota Twins that included a combined seven-run ninth inning, with the Rays coming out on top in the tenth and securing the series victory.
These are not the Rays we have all become accustomed to in recent memory though. The Rays, who usually have a solidified starting rotation and strong bullpen, have not had such luck this season, as they rank 24th in MLB in ERA and 18th in WHIP. It’s a group that has taken a ton of blows due to injury, and the offense hasn’t been much better, ranking 26th in OPS and 6th in strikeouts.
Pittsburgh enters the series having allowed two runs or fewer in five of the past six, so starting pitching has continued to be the strength of the roster as it has all season.
The Rays lead the all-time series versus the Pirates 12-9, winning the past six matchups versus Pittsburgh, with the Pirates last victory against the Rays coming June 29, 2017.
06/21
Pirates – TBD
Rays – Ryan Pepiot(RHP) – 4-4, 63.0 IP, 4.57 ERA, 72 Ks/19 walks, 1.08 WHIP
06/22
Pirates – Jared Jones(RHP)– 4-6, 79.0 IP, 3.76 ERA, 85 Ks/22 walks, 1.13 WHIP
Rays – Zach Eflin(RHP) – 3-4, 74.1 IP, 4.12 ERA, 57 Ks/5 walks, 1.17 WHIP
06/23
Pirates – Paul Skenes(RHP) – 4-0, 39.1 IP, 2.29 ERA, 53 Ks/7 walks, 0.99 WHIP
Rays – Aaron Civale(RHP) – 2-5, 76.1 IP, 5.42 ERA, 79 Ks/22 walks, 1.39 WHIP
Rays: 1B Yandy Diaz
The Rays haven’t gotten much from their offense this season, but as of late, Yandy Diaz has been their most consistent bat in the lineup. In June, Diaz is slashing .324/.354/.446/.800 with eight RBIs, including a .333 batting average in his past 15 games. He had five hits in the three game series versus Minnesota with three RBIs prior to this matchup, so watch Diaz in the lineup for the Rays in this matchup.
Pirates: OF Bryan Reynolds
Bryan Reynolds has been an absolute machine for the Pirates, batting .339 with a .581 slugging in his past 15 games, including two homers and eight runs batted in. Extend to his past 30 games, and Reynolds is slashing .299/.331/.496/.827 with five home runs and 21 RBIs, so he’s been a force at the top of lineup for the Pirates and done well against RHP, improving his average to .265 versus right-hand pitching on the season.
Rays: SS Jose Caballero
Ranking fourth on the Rays in at-bats, Caballero has been mostly average throughout the 2024 campaign for Tampa Bay, but he’s struggled a ton as of late, batting .219 in his past 30 games with a mere .323 slugging. A .238 average on the season would suggest moderate performance, but his .652 OPS doesn’t offer the offense much, especially an offense that has struggled as much as Tampa Bay’s has.
Pirates: OF/1B Connor Joe
Connor Joe had a stellar start to the 2024 campaign, but he hasn’t been able to match the consistency he saw in the first two months. In the month of June, Joe is batting .137 and slugging .255, a massive drop off from his April and May performance. To make matters worse, he’s batting .087 in his past seven games and struggling a ton versus right-handed pitching, so one hopes he can rekindle his early season fire sooner rather than later.
Key Injuries
Rays:
As mentioned earlier, the Rays have had a ton of blows to their starting pitching staff, with Jeffrey Springs, Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen, all on the shelf for an extended period of time. Infielder Junior Caminero, who’s the Rays number one prospect, has also dealt with injuries, having not played since May 28.
Pirates:
Ji-hwan Bae, who participated in live batting drills, is headed to Indianapolis for a rehab assignment. Meanwhile, Quinn Priester is expected to be evaluated in the next week. Martin Perez, who hasn’t pitched since May 26, threw a live bullpen recently and is nearing a return to the rotation. Ryan Borucki also threw a live bullpen on June 18 and he is anticipated to throw a live batting practice this weekend.
Who To Watch
Watch the Pirates offense versus the Rays pitching in this series. Each starter the Pirates face in this series has a 4.00 ERA or higher, while the Rays bullpen ranks 25th in baseball with a 4.42 ERA. After a series against the Reds that saw minimal offense, I would love to see the Pirates offense explode against a pitching staff it quite honestly should explode against. With Jones and Skenes pitching as well, you hope they give the duo run-support and find a way to win their fifth series in their last six.
Steel City Pirates 