Tampa Bay Rays news and links: Stay positive, please

It wasn’t a good series in New York, and yesterday’s game was especially demoralizing. Manager Kevin Cash says we should stay positive. Also, that Snell’s pitch count was “dangerously high.” Some good talk about the bullpen management in there.

Blake Snell said he will not be “nitpicking” in his next start. Topkin outlined the pressures that a bad start from Snell places on the Rays’ bullpen as currently constructed.

Manager Kevin Cash is focused on keeping his lineup rested, writes Danny Knobler, as well as his starters. Here’s one snippet worth noting in particular:

Even though Chris Archer would be on a normal four days of rest Sunday, the Rays will use that as another bullpen day and start Archer on Monday in Chicago. The Rays will use bullpen days twice in the three-game series in Boston, with Jake Faria making the only standard start on Saturday.

”I know Chris could go [Sunday], but we’d rather give him and [Blake Snell] the extra day,” Cash said.

Rays Baseball

• There’s a group of “ambassadors” made up of “executives and business leaders” whose stated purpose is to get the Tampa community behind a move across the bay, and to help secure funding. It’s called the Rays 100. Here are 75.
• Baseball America made a list of the best tools in the minor leagues, and there’s one Ray on it: Chi-Wei Hu with slots in with the third best changeup. Having seen it up in the majors last year, I’ll believe that.
• Shane Tourtellotte wrote about every team’s worst loss. I think he got the Rays right: game five of the ALDS against Texas. Remember that game? The one with all those runners scoring from second on groundouts?
• Here’s where all the Rays prospects are going.
• lol ex-Ray Mikie Mahtook
• lol ex-Ray Fernando Rodney

Other Links

• The league’s thinking on who should bat second has finally caught up to the empirically correct thinking.
• Charlie Blackmon signed a long-term deal.
• David Laurila with interviews from three pitchers on what it was like for them to develop new pitches.