8-6-2025 – By Michael Castrignano – @412DoublePlay on X
While the team wasn’t able to break-through yesterday, they will still have the chance at the series win today as they take on 2021 AL Cy Young-winner, Robbie Ray, who is having a strong comeback campaign with the Giants after missing most of the past two seasons with injury.
The 2-time All Star southpaw enters play today carrying a 9-5 record, 2.85 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 140 strikeouts to 53 walks across 136 innings pitched. While walks have been a recurring issue for Ray as his total free passes ranks 2nd most in the National League, he makes up for it with a strong 25.4% strikeout rate and ability to prevent batted balls from becoming hits with a .244 BABIP ranking 2nd lowest in MLB behind just Nick Pivetta.
His opponent batting average on the season of .200 is the lowest mark he’s posted in a full campaign since 2017 – when his Whiff % and K% were both in the 95th percentile – compared to this season when they are in the still respectable but much less imposing 75th and 73rd percentile respectively.
As mentioned earlier, walks have been the achilles heel for Ray. From 2016 through 2020, he led all of MLB in this stat as he issued 327 free passes with the next closest being Tyler Chatwood with 288 over that span.
Ray missed most of 2023 and 2024 due to undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2023 while still with the Seattle Mariners. Ray took the down-time this past offseason to work with the 2024 AL Cy Young, Tarik Skubal, to reshape his changeup as a more effective offering – and, after a slow start to the season where he posted a 4.16 ERA over his first 4 starts, he has started to see the results in action with a 2.62 ERA over his last 116.2 innings pitched, earning his second All Star nod and the May NL Pitcher of the Month.
The veteran lefty has increased his changeup usage from 1% in 2022 to 14% this season, generating a 39.3% whiff rate on the offering – the highest mark among his arsenal of pitches.
He will primarily work off his low-90s fastball and high-80s slider – each of which have an opponent batting average under .200 as he works upstairs with the heater while running down and in against righties with the breaking ball.
Ray also adds in a low-80s curve that just bottoms out as it reaches the plate but has the highest opponent batting average against at .275 but the main thing hitters should watch for today is the fastball, which he offers nearly 50% of the time with 8 of his 16 home runs allowed coming against the pitch.
Patience will be key against the oft-wild lefty but the Bucco bats need to be ready for the center-cut fastballs up in the zone and be ready to do damage when the opportunity arises.
Work walks, target elevated heat and put the ball in play to get Robbie rocked.
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