The Rays had some reasons to be optimistic Wednesday, mainly that Evan Longoria returned from a brief injury absence, Colby Rasmus finally appeared on the active roster after a lengthy DL stint, and prime bullpen prospect Jose Alvarado was called up to the big club.
There were also some looming concerns, most notably a limited bullpen and a starter that has yet to go deep into a game this season.
The concerns won out.
The Pitching Problem
Wednesday night’s entire pitching situation was bad from the get-go. That’s not to say that Blake Snell, who K’d nine hitters in five innings of work, was inherently bad; or that the bullpen was a complete and utter disaster, though they came close to earning that moniker.