Alan Dell commentary | Tampa Bay Rays best hopes rest with Matt Moore and Drew Smyly
It's spring, when baseball dreams have a way of soaring beyond the clouds of doubt.
But Matt Moore and Drew Smyly are painting a genuine silver lining around the hopes of the Tampa Bay Rays, who were scuttled by the injury bug last season.
If you are a Rays fan who has trouble sleeping because of a recurring nightmare that ghosts are coming to curse your favorite team, you can rest a little easier.
With Moore and Smyly showing no signs of the injuries that stymied the two lefties last year, promise has returned to this franchise.
Moore was solid against the New York Yankees on Saturday, pitching three shutout innings while giving up two hits with three strikeouts and no walks. The 25 year-old lefty threw 32 strikes among his 49 pitches.
We all know the Rays live and die by the motto you can never have enough pitching, especially with their lack of run production.
With Alex Cobb expected to take the mound sometime later this summer and a starting rotation that has a healthy Chris Archer and Jake Odorizzi, the Rays should have one of the best rotations in baseball.
Tampa Bay went out of character during the off season when it sacrificed some pitching and perhaps defense to bolster the lineup. It's a commendable act, but we don't know what the ultimate cost will be.
The Rays averaged 3.98 runs per game last year, which was next to last in the American League. But you've got to sacrifice something to get something and they won only 80 games in 2015.
Newly acquired shortstop Brad Miller (from Seattle) has cranked up the anxiety level a bit with shaky defense this spring and a resume that says his
defensive skills are suspect.
Miller committed three throwing errors in his first four spring games and could've had a fourth but was bailed out by first baseman Logan Morrison.
Among the 39 errors he committed in his three years with the Mariners 21 were throwing miscues. Last year he committed 14 errors at shortstop, two in the outfield and one each at second and third base.
During his team in Seattle each year he ranked below the league average in fielding percentage for shortstops and for his total time there had a .964 fielding percentage compared to the league average of .973.
The Rays are saying not to worry and his errors this spring are the result of poor technique than anything mental. As part of that deal they traded pitcher Nathan Karns, but they did get first baseman Logan Morrison and the jury is out on that one.
The Rays gave up solid lefty reliever Jake McGee to get Corey Dickerson from Colorado, where he hit for a .304 batting average and had 10 homers in 224 at-bats.
Dickerson is considered a below average fielder and as baseball aficionados know you have to be careful when you look at stats that were compiled by the Colorado Rockies. The thin air makes for higher batting averages and baseballs often heading into orbit without much muscle behind the swing. We also don't know how his bout with plantar fasciitis is going to respond to the turf at Tropicana Field.
Last year Dickerson batted .395 at Coors Field and .257 on the road. In his three years at Coors Field he hit a robust .355, but dropped to .249 on the road.
The Rays' bullpen ranked 20th in ERA last year. Tampa Bay lost eight games it was leading in after seven innings and went 2-13 in extra inning games.
Add it all up and it's good to see that Moore and Smyly are returning to form.
Alan Dell, Herald sports columnist/writer, can be reached at 941-745-7056. Follow him on Twitter @ADellSports.
This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Alan Dell commentary | Tampa Bay Rays best hopes rest with Matt Moore and Drew Smyly ."