Rays starter Michael Wacha is expected to pitch two more times in Spring Training, but the veteran right-hander looked ready to go on Saturday night.
Wacha, who signed as a free agent in December, pitched four sharp innings in the Rays¡¯ 2-1 loss to the Twins at the CenturyLink Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Fla. He gave up one hit and struck out three without a walk, needing only 53 pitches to complete his work for the day. The 29-year-old has quietly enjoyed a strong spring, allowing only two hits and a walk over his seven innings in Grapefruit League play.
Wacha¡¯s fastball touched 94.9 mph, according to Statcast, and averaged 93.5 mph, about where it sat with the Mets last season. The Twins whiffed on four of the 10 changeups he threw, and he finished all three of his strikeouts with that pitch.
¡°I was pretty happy with how everything was coming out. I felt like I was getting ahead of guys and then able to put them away whenever I needed to and stuff,¡± Wacha said. ¡°Overall, I was happy with the four-pitch mix, how I was working it. Me and [catcher Francisco Mej¨ªa] got on a little groove there.¡±
Wacha has already taken big steps forward with his cutter. He threw the pitch more than ever last season, looking for a pitch that would veer away from right-handed hitters and bear in on lefties, but opponents hit .314 with a .571 slugging percentage against it. Wacha said he lowered his arm angle last year to get the desired movement on that pitch, but he¡¯s been able to raise his arm slot back up this spring while still getting the horizontal break he wants on his cutter.
¡°It¡¯s been a good pitch for me so far this spring, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it translates into the season,¡± Wacha said.
The Rays have consistently praised the quality of Wacha¡¯s stuff as well as his attitude and professionalism since he joined them in camp. Mej¨ªa noted that he¡¯s had great communication with Wacha this spring, which helped them cruise through Minnesota¡¯s lineup Saturday night. Wacha said he¡¯s worked well with Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder, and he wants to keep building up his pitch count and refining his pitches before the regular season.
¡°It¡¯s still really, really early, but I think everything we've heard about the guy -- just the character -- has been right on, spot on,¡± manager Kevin Cash said. ¡°The poise that he shows on the mound. I think he's taken the simple messages that Kyle's giving and he's trying to put it to use.¡±
Game notes
? Randy Arozarena tallied two of the Rays¡¯ five hits on the night, both singles. Mike Brosseau homered for the third time this spring, taking Twins starter Kenta Maeda 353 feet out to right field in the second inning.
? Reliever Ryan Thompson was sharp in a perfect seventh inning, striking out Andrelton Simmons on a slider and freezing Brent Rooker with a fastball. Lefty Jeffrey Springs worked a scoreless eighth.
? Late-inning relievers Diego Castillo and Pete Fairbanks each gave up a run in an inning of work. Castillo¡¯s was unearned as it came after an error by second baseman Miles Mastrobuoni. Fairbanks only allowed a pair of singles, and he was charged with two wild pitches in his first outing working with Mej¨ªa. The young catcher is expected to be behind the plate for Tyler Glasnow¡¯s next outing, and he said he¡¯s in the process of catching all the Rays pitchers, which is a big part of learning a new staff.
¡°They're not easy, even if you ask [Mike Zunino], who's caught them for multiple seasons now. It's a tough job back there,¡± Cash said. ¡°And the type of stuff that Pete or Diego feature can be really challenging. I think Frankie's done a tremendous job getting to know guys and learning on the fly.¡±
Around the horn
? First baseman Ji-Man Choi (right knee inflammation) received a cortisone shot a week ago and is in ¡°pretty good spirits,¡± Cash said, feeling some immediate relief in the knee. Choi will rest a few more days before he¡¯s reevaluated to determine whether he can resume baseball activities. Knowing the knee has been an issue twice this spring, the Rays are playing it safe.
¡°Figured let's make sure we see this out,¡± Cash said. ¡°He most likely is going to miss some time. If he does and this gets him through the rest of the season, we'll be better for that.¡±
? If Choi is unable to play on Opening Day, Yoshi Tsutsugo could play a big part in filling in for him as a left-handed-hitting first baseman. Tsutsugo, who worked primarily at third base and in left field last season, said he¡¯s feeling more comfortable at first base and is preparing to play there. He¡¯s also seemingly turning a corner at the plate, as evidenced by the way he hit a pair of Nathan Eovaldi fastballs for hits on Friday afternoon.
¡°During this last period of Spring Training, I'm really shifting my gears towards an actual regular season, and that's how I'm participating in it,¡± Tsutsugo said through an interpreter.
? Cash said the Rays won¡¯t have any new information on non-roster catcher Kevan Smith¡¯s back injury until Thursday, as he¡¯s being evaluated by doctors. Cash expressed confidence in the Rays¡¯ depth behind their two top catchers, Zunino and Mej¨ªa, even if Smith is sidelined at the start of the season.
¡°Joe Odom's a guy that we talked last year about trying to get. His defensive work has really shown to be fairly elite,¡± Cash said. ¡°And then with our guys, Rene Pinto and Brett Sullivan, there's a lot of people in the player development [department] that think really highly of them. They get there different ways -- probably Rene a little bit more with the glove, Sully with the bat -- but they've worked really hard to be options for us.¡±
Up next
The Rays will return to Charlotte Sports Park on Sunday afternoon to host the Braves at 1:05 p.m. ET. Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough is scheduled to pitch for Tampa Bay. David Hess, Cody Reed and Yacksel Rios are also expected to pitch, and Atlanta is slated to send lefty Max Fried to the mound.