TAMPA -- As the Rays fade further from the postseason picture and move closer to elimination, they will shift their focus to the future, looking for bright spots and encouraging performances that could bode well for a better season next year.
Joe Boyle provided a big one Monday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Making his first Major League start since Aug. 21, Boyle fired six scoreless innings, struck out five, allowed only three singles and didn’t walk a batter. The Rays’ lineup gave the big right-hander an early lead but faltered late, leaving runners in scoring position in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings of a 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays.
Regardless of the outcome, which dropped Tampa Bay to 73-77 with 12 games to play, the Rays had to feel good about Boyle’s successful return to the rotation.
“It's important. Definitely important,” manager Kevin Cash said. “We want all the guys [to finish strong], but I think certainly him because he's put a lot of work in to get himself back up here, and [we] would like to see him have those good results.”
Cash said the Rays will “have some discussions moving forward” about how they’ll use Boyle over the next two weeks. With starters Ryan Pepiot, Drew Rasmussen and Shane Baz having their innings managed, it seems possible that Boyle could get another chance to repeat what he did in Monday’s series opener.
“It's a hard game, and it takes a lot of focus and dedication, but I'm looking forward to it, for whatever the opportunity is I have left,” Boyle said.
Facing a Toronto team with the American League’s best record (88-62), Boyle put together his second career outing of six scoreless innings. Perhaps the most telling statistic, considering the control issues that have held him back at times, is this: It was his first big league start without a walk and only his second walk-free MLB appearance.
With a fastball that averaged 98.2 mph, a nasty slider and a wipeout splitter, Boyle has the stuff to dominate opposing lineups if he is in the strike zone enough to get ahead in counts. He lived in the zone against the Blue Jays, throwing 53 of his 78 pitches for strikes while throwing only three pitches in a three-ball count.
“Proud of it,” Boyle said.
After Boyle struggled to a 9.68 ERA with 21 strikeouts and 15 walks in 17 2/3 innings over a five-start stretch from July 29-Aug. 21, the Rays optioned him to Triple-A Durham to refine his strike-throwing and improve his control of the running game.
Boyle said he didn’t overhaul his mechanics, but he did note that he “found some fire” and “found some passion for the game” after being sent back to the Minors. That energy was reflected in his performance on the mound.
“Just being on the attack, trusting my stuff, trusting myself and pitching aggressively vs. passively,” Boyle said.
Catcher Nick Fortes pointed to one adjustment the Rays made to help Boyle: They tweaked his target behind the plate, trying to mitigate his usual arm-side misses by setting up more on his glove side. Boyle threw 60 percent of his pitches in the strike zone against the Jays, according to Statcast, with his slider a particularly effective weapon in the zone.
“I think it really, really helped tonight. He was able to keep all three of his pitches in the zone for the most part and gain count leverage,” Fortes said. “And he's got amazing stuff, so that's just what it's all about with him.”
The Rays have had high hopes for Boyle since acquiring him from the A’s as the headliner in their return for starter Jeffrey Springs. He put his eye-popping arsenal on display in Spring Training and in a hitless Rays debut on April 13. He looked good pitching in a bulk-inning role for most of July, but he struggled when he moved back into the rotation.
“I just think that I wasn't happy with the way I performed in the rotation in the last go-around, and I just felt like my time with Durham was a chance to regroup and bring that back up here,” Boyle said.
If Boyle keeps bringing it, the Rays will feel that much better about their rotation heading into the offseason.
“It’s huge. You never want to see a guy get sent down, but when he does, you hope that he works on what they tell him, and when he comes back up, he's ready and he's prepared,” Fortes said. “And he showed that tonight. He came back up, and he was as good as I've seen him since I've been here. So kudos to him for putting the work in and applying it against a really good lineup.”