Masahiro Tanaka (1-0, 3.06 ERA) gets the honors of facing The Rays’ top prospect Blake Snell in game two of the series. Tanaka picked up his first win of the year his last time out against the Mariners. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits with no walks through….wait for it….SEVEN innings! In three career starts against Tampa Bay, he is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA.
The Rays announced Friday that top prospect Snell would be getting the call and making his Big League debut. The 23 year old southpaw is 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA in Triple-A this year. He has struckout 21, walked seven and allowed 15 hits in 14.1 innings for Durham. Erasmo Ramirez was going to get the ball for this game, but he was used in relief against Boston on Thursday making him unavailable. Snell flew through the Rays’ system last year, going from advanced Class-A to Double-A, and was being considered for a September call up before the team fell out of contention. Across all three levels, he was 15-4 with a 1.41 ERA and struck out 163 batters over 134 innings. In a text message from the plane ride to New York, Snell said,
“Can’t have dreamed of a better way,” Snell said. “It’s really such an amazing time for me. And I’m really fortunate to be in this situation.”
In 12 career Triple-A starts, Snell has posted a 7-3 record with a 1.99 ERA, and accumulated a strikeout rate of 12 per nine innings. The 6 foot 4 lefty was drafted in 2011, and has been impressing just about everyone who sees him pitch.
“This young man has been talked about quite a bit,” Kevin Cash said. “We got to see him in Spring Training, and the way he carried himself was spot on. His stuff speaks for itself, obviously. It just seemed right.”
Tidbits:
Snell is baseball’s 12th best prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
14 of the 16 hits and all six earned runs Tanaka has given up to the Rays have been at Yankee Stadium.
The Yanks are batting .220 against lefties with a .295 slugging percentage.
1:05 pm on Yes.
