MLB LOOK AHEAD

Rays’ Snell looks to bounce back vs. Rockies

Field Level Media

April 02, 2019 at 7:41 am.

Mar 28, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Blake Snell (4) throws a pitch during the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at Tropicana Field. Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 28, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Blake Snell (4) throws a pitch during the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at Tropicana Field. Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Rays are winning with pitching, and center fielder Kevin Kiermaier delivered a simple but daunting message to his club’s pitching staff.

“I told these (pitchers) the other night, ‘Guys, I promise you if you keep limiting teams to one run or less, I promise you we’re going to win a lot of games,” said Kiermaier, who hit a three-run homer, doubled and drove in four runs in the Rays’ 7-1 win over the visiting Colorado Rockies on Monday, Tampa Bay’s fourth consecutive victory.

“Easier said than done, but these guys have thrown the ball great so far.”

Tampa Bay and Colorado play the second game of their three-game series at Tropicana Field on Tuesday, and as Kiermaier said, pitching will be at the forefront as the Rays will try to get their ace back on track.

Left-hander Blake Snell (0-1, 7.50 ERA) will make his second start of the season, and manager Kevin Cash and staff expect a better showing than the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner provided in the season opener.

Snell, 26, gave up six hits in six innings — not an awful ratio — but three of them left the yard off the bats of the Houston Astros’ Michael Brantley, George Springer and Jose Altuve, and Yuli Gurriel added a double off Snell.

In all, the Astros lit up Snell for all of their runs in their 5-1 win, the Rays’ only defeat so far this season.

Tampa Bay lefty Ryan Yarbrough, normally a starter, earned the win in Monday while working 4 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. He allowed the only run the relief corps has yielded in 21 innings on the year.

Rays left fielder Tommy Pham extended his on-base streak to 37 games, tying Ben Grieve for second place in franchise history. Johnny Damon set the team record at 39 during the 2011 campaign.

The Rockies will trot out Kyle Freeland (1-0, 1.29 ERA) on Tuesday in the hopes the left-hander can break the team’s three-game losing skid and even the three-game series.

Freeland, 25, was spectacular last season, authoring a 17-7 record and an equally impressive 2.85 ERA despite having hitter-friendly Coors Field as his home park. His reliability was also noteworthy as he made 33 starts and worked 202 1/3 innings in his second season in the majors.

In his first start of 2019, Freeland cruised through seven innings Thursday, allowing just a pair of hits, one being a solo homer by JT Riddle in Colorado’s 6-3 win over the Miami Marlins. He gave up just the one run, struck out five and walked one.

In the series opener Monday at Tampa Bay, Nolan Arenado had a three-hit night and plated Colorado’s only run, but manager Bud Black said the Rays’ bullpen presented a problem.

“Their guys made some pitches when they needed to,” Black said. “We can’t seem to get anything going. We can’t string any hits together, and when that happens you’re not going to score.

“Their weapons — each one of their pitchers — were pretty strong. We could’ve gotten back but couldn’t get the big hit. And they did … the backbreaker was Kiermaier.”