One series is in the books, so it’s time to draw conclusions about this team from a way too small sample of baseball games. At this point it makes no sense to talk about actual performances. Snell will be fine. The bullpen will give up runs eventually. Willy Adames will get a hit. More than one, probably.
But who the Rays put on the field, and in what situations, can tell us plenty about the internal evaluations that frame the decisions made by Kevin Cash and the Rays front office. So let’s look at some managerial moves.
Rather than go with an opener for game four of the series, as was generally expected, Cash made Yonny Chirinos a traditional starter against the Astros’ righty-heavy lineup.