Rays pitchers have new challenges, including more aggressive hitters

TAMPA What do you do when a specific, well-developed strategy that has been finely executed for years producing great success no longer is providing some of the same high-level results?If youre the Rays, you pretty much say, OK ...

and double down on what youve been doing so well for so long.Here is the situation:For years certainly the eight seasons Kyle Snyder has been pitching coach the Rays have built their strategy on the foundation of throwing strikes early and often.Their premise is to get to two strikes as fast as they can, then end at-bats quickly after that, often by getting the hitter to chase and flail at a pitch out of the zone.But this season, they have seen opposing hitters noticeably more aggressive in their approach, swinging at those early strikes and not letting Rays pitchers get deep enough in the counts to set them up to strike out or make weak contact.So, how do they respond?Were actively talking through that, Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

I think its probably a combination of a lot of things, but we certainly noticed that.

I know our approach and were not, we dont want to waver from our approach of throwing strikes.Kyle constantly says, Get strike one, strike two, then get the ball out of the zone to try to get some chase.

We pitched well for many years, and I think that teams have come in this year, maybe more than weve seen in the past, and have been more aggressive.The shift is not really a surprise.

If anything, you wonder why it took teams this long to try something different.I think weve been kind of waiting for it to happen, in all honesty, starter Drew Rasmussen said.

Its one of those things I mean, I say it publicly every time I talk to you guys what our approach is we want to be aggressive in the zone early, and we want to make good, competitive two-strike pitches late.Its as simple as it gets, but its also the honest truth.

If the league is going to start to adjust to it, then we might have to make an adjustment.

But I truly dont see us doing that.Nor, starter Taj Bradley said, are they going to try to out-fox the hitters by switching up their normal patternsHell no, thats too complicated, man, Bradley said.

Im going to keep it simple.

Thats just playing mind games for reasons unbeknown.

I dont know what theyre thinking.

If I could read minds, Id be successful all the time, but thats not the case.

Im just keeping to my strengths.The Rays have staff to do the deepest of statistical, analytical and algebraic dives on the how, why and what to make of this change in opponents strategy.But there are some basic numbers that provide illustration:Hitters are indeed swinging more early in counts, including a 35.4% rate on the first pitch of at-bats against Tampa Bay pitchers that is highest in the majors.

Thats up from 33.5 last year and 32.1 in 2023.And it seems to have worked, as Rays pitchers have allowed a .338 average on first pitches, as well as .354 on 1-0 pitches and .366 on 1-0 pitches, all up from last year.I just think they know were coming in zone early and were going to expand later, Bradley said.

So its just, Try to get a good pitch to hit early on, and theyre swinging.

They know where its going to be.

I just think we keep the same mentality attack.

Weve had good success with it, and were just going to keep going."With the Rays wanting to stick with the strategy that has annually ranked them among the best pitching staffs in the game, one key is to find the balance between throwing strikes early to get ahead as usual, but not throwing pitches that are too good.It just means first pitch, be a little more cognizant of where we want to throw it, starter Ryan Pepiot said.

We like to throw first-pitch strikes, so if theyre going to hit it and get themselves out quick so we can go deeper in ballgames, and try to have the guys out within three pitches or be in a positive count toward us.Just go out there and use their aggressiveness against them, mixing speeds.Another impact of the change in approach with hitters swinging early is that the Rays arent piling up as many strikeouts.In 49 games, they are averaging 7.82 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranks 25th in the majors.

Thats down from 8.78 last season (ranking 11th) and 9.41 in 2023 (fourth).

By strikeout rate, they are 20th at 21%.Measured another way, there have been only 14 games so far where Rays pitchers have reached the 10K mark (also known as free tacos for home games), including a stretch of 18 games without.The Rays feel there are multiple reasons for the decline in strikeouts.Some their mounds men can totally control, such as better execution of pitches, both early in counts and with two strikes, and getting to two strikes quicker given how they are averaging the fewest pitches per inning (15.7) in the majors, with the fourth-lowest walk rate (7.6%).Some they cant, such as opposing teams taking the more aggressive and contact-oriented approach earlier in counts against them, putting balls in play.

That some of those balls are dropping in for hits more often.

That the pitching conditions at their interim home of Steinbrenner Field have been more hitter-friendly than they were used to at Tropicana Field, and inconsistent due to varying winds.Also, dont discount the impact of a majors-wide reduction in the buffer zone around the plate, from two inches to 34 of an inch, first reported by The Athletic, that has led to umpires tightening their strike zones (to get graded better) and calling fewer strikes overall, reducing the number of leveraged counts.Youre losing quite a few strikes early that are called, Snyder said.

So if were losing 1-1 counts, 2-1 to 1-2, were finding ourselves in fewer strikeout counts.

Youve got to get to two strikes to strike people out.There is still plenty the Rays like about their pitching staff, though through Mondays games it ranked 15th with a 3.88 ERA, 17th with a .242 average allowed and 29th with 76 homers given up.

Plus, the rotation has got an outstanding defense to help it out.And Snyder is confident they will find a way to continue being successful in the face of the latest challenge.Were going to throw strikes, he said.

The (opposing hitters) also recognize that regardless of the lack of strikeouts, weve got really good stuff that can put guys away.

They dont want to get there, and they feel like some of the better pitches for them to be able to handle are probably the first or second offering they see.

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