ST. PETERSBURG — It had been 718 days since Tyler Glasnow final scaled the mound at Tropicana Field. The precise period of time could not have crossed his thoughts when he toed the rubber on Saturday afternoon, however he knew it felt proper.
“I remember being like, ‘Oh, this is kind of nice to be back out here,’” Glasnow mentioned. “It was just like a feeling I hadn’t felt in a while, so it was familiar and it felt nice.”
Glasnow’s season debut within the Rays’ 6-5 loss to the Dodgers wasn’t with out its flaws, nevertheless it was at instances a tantalizing reminder of what he’s bringing again to the Rays’ rotation. Sidelined since early Spring Training, Glasnow allowed three runs on 5 hits and one stroll whereas hanging out eight over 4 1/3 innings.
It was Glasnow’s first begin at Tropicana Field since June 8, 2021, and solely his fourth Major League outing since June 14, 2021. He underwent Tommy John surgical procedure in August 2021 and returned within the ultimate days of final season, solely to be set again on Feb. 27 by a Grade 2 left indirect pressure.
“Happy to have him back,” Rays supervisor Kevin Cash mentioned. “You saw the stuff early on, that it’s no different than what we saw last October. It’s pretty wipeout stuff.”
Glasnow threw 83 pitches, 55 for strikes, after maxing out at six innings and 67 pitches throughout his Minor League rehab project. The Rays have been down a run when he left the sport to a standing ovation, however they pulled forward on a two-run homer by Harold Ramírez off Clayton Kershaw within the fifth inning.
They gave up that benefit when lefty Colin Poche allowed two runs within the seventh, then reliever Trevor Kelley surrendered a solo homer to Miguel Vargas within the eighth. The Rays rallied within the ninth however completed with the tying run 90 toes away from residence plate within the membership’s tenth loss (of solely 16 complete) by two or fewer runs.
“That was a gritty win. So much respect for this Tampa [Bay] team, the way they play,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned. “They don’t give you anything.”
Ultimately, Glasnow’s return from the injured listing was a very powerful growth of the day for the Rays. And it got here at an excellent time.
The Rays have managed to keep up the Majors’ finest document even whereas piecing collectively their pitching in latest weeks as a consequence of accidents. They’re down three key starters in Shane Baz (recovering from Tommy John surgical procedure final September), Jeffrey Springs (Tommy John surgical procedure final month) and Drew Rasmussen (flexor pressure, out till a minimum of August).
And Glasnow, when wholesome, isn’t any strange starter.
“Healthy Glasnow is a nightmare,” Roberts mentioned earlier than the sport. “It’s velocity. It’s secondary. It’s [at the] top of the zone. A lot of swing and miss. Neutral. It’s a tall order, literally and figuratively.”
The 6-foot-8 right-hander has electrical stuff that makes him one of the dominant strikeout artists within the recreation. In his first large league begin since Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series on Oct. 8, his fastball averaged 96.5 mph and topped out at 98.4 mph. The Dodgers whiffed on 45 % of their swings, together with 5 of eight in opposition to his slider and 6 of 11 in opposition to his curveball.
“He’s obviously a big part of this team, and we’re thrilled to have him back,” Poche mentioned. “The stuff just jumps off the page. It’s pretty noticeable all throughout the stadium when he’s throwing the baseball.”
But when the Dodgers made contact on Saturday, it was usually loud. Max Muncy led off the second inning by crushing a excessive fastball a Statcast-projected 408 toes to right-center discipline. Freddie Freeman hit a 106.7 mph double within the third inning.
J.D. Martinez and Muncy generated a run within the fourth by pulling back-to-back doubles off Glasnow’s curveball, a pitch that catcher Christian Bethancourt famous it “felt like they were kind of looking for” the second time by the order. Muncy got here round to attain the sport’s third run when Glasnow spiked a curveball to David Peralta properly out in entrance of the plate.
Glasnow had a couple of critiques of his efficiency, together with some “counter-rotation” in his supply that saved him from getting behind some pitches and some too many balls left over the plate. But it was a profitable first step, one that would go a great distance for Tampa Bay’s rotation.
“I felt good,” Glasnow mentioned. “Wasn’t perfect, but definitely, coming back for the first one, I’m happy with it.”
Content Source: www.mlb.com