Griffin Jax (1-4, 4.15) gets the assignment for the Rays opposite José Soriano (7-4, 2.96) at 7:07 PM PT. Jax is the more interesting name on the card — he opened the year in Tampa's closer-by-committee, got shelled out of the pen, and has reinvented himself as a starter with a 1.42 ERA across his first stretch of rotation work. His last time out he punched 5 scoreless on 62 pitches in Miami, so the leash is still short.
The Angels are the hotter team and it's not particularly close. Los Angeles has won 4 of 5, including a 13-5 demolition of the Dodgers and a 10-1 thumping of Houston, and stole Friday's series opener from Tampa 4-3. Soriano coughed up 4 earned to the Dodgers in his last start but still walked off with the W because that's the kind of run his offense is on. Mike Trout owns the Rays historically — a 1.099 OPS and 28 homers across his career against them — and he's been reaching base in double-digit games.
The flip side: the Rays are still 40-26 and 12 games clear of this Angels team in the standings. They took 3 straight from Boston before flying west and Friday's loss was a one-run game decided late. This isn't a team in freefall, it's a team that traveled cross-country, lost a tight one, and now has to navigate a bullpen game dressed up as a Jax start in front of a lineup that's seeing the ball.
Injuries are doing a lot of the talking on both sides. Tampa is missing Jake Fraley (hernia, 6-to-8 weeks), Ryan Pepiot (out for the season after hip surgery), and a stack of relievers including Craig Kimbrel, Edwin Uceta, and Jesse Scholtens. The Angels are without Jorge Soler, Anthony Rendon, Yoan Moncada, Adam Frazier, and Vaughn Grissom, and Nolan Schanuel sat Friday with a calf. The depth chart in Anaheim is duct tape — they're winning anyway.
- Day-To-DayAustin Vernon RP — The Rays have shut Vernon down from throwing due to right elbow soreness, per MLB.com.
- Day-To-DayAlfredo Zarraga RP — no
- 10-Day-ILJonny DeLuca RF — DeLuca (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 10-Day-ILJake Fraley RF — Rays manager Kevin Cash said Monday that Fraley (hernia) will require surgery and will face a recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILCraig Kimbrel RP — Kimbrel (wrist) will throw a live batting practice session Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILJesse Scholtens RP — Scholtens was charged with a blown save and dropped to 5-3 on the season in Monday's 9-7 loss to the Orioles in 13 innings after yielding five runs (three earned) on four hits across 1.1 frames. He struck out one batter.
- 60-Day-ILGavin Lux LF — Lux (shoulder) is scheduled to take live batting practice against teammate Craig Kimbrel (wrist) on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 60-Day-ILJonathan Heasley RP — Heasley was returned to the major-league roster and placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow stress reaction.
- Day-To-DayNolan Schanuel 1B — Schanuel (calf) is not in the Angels' starting lineup against the Rays on Friday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJorge Soler DH — Soler (oblique) ran on the field and did some light baseball activities Friday, per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILAdam Frazier 2B — Frazier (elbow) took part in light baseball activities Friday, per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILVaughn Grissom 2B — Grissom (oblique) has been taking light swings and participating in light baseball activities, per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILSebastian Rivero C — Rivero was removed from Tuesday's game against the Astros with an apparent left hand injury, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILGustavo Campero C — The Angels selected Campero's contract from Double-A Rocket City and placed him on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a fractured hand.
- 60-Day-ILTravis d'Arnaud C — D'Arnaud (foot) is no longer wearing a walking boot, and he played catch on the field Wednesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi SP — Kikuchi (shoulder) is scheduled to begin a throwing program in mid-June, per MLB.com.
The matchup pitch-for-pitch favors Soriano, who is a legitimately good ground-ball starter having a career year. The matchup vibes-wise favor whoever the Halos roll out, because they have not lost back-to-back games at home in over a week. Rays bats need to show up early before Jax's pitch count becomes the manager's problem.