Rays burned by opener in Game 4; tab Glasnow for Game 5

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Manager Kevin Cash and the Tampa Bay Rays introduced the concept of an opener to modern baseball two years ago.

With a chance to close out their AL Division Series against the Yankees on Thursday night, they were bitten by their own creation.

They'll try again Friday night, and they'll start with towering Tyler Glasnow on two days of rest.

The Rays fell behind in the second inning of Game 4 and never caught up after rookie opener Ryan Thompson gave up two hits, three walks and two runs over 1 2/3 innings in just his second career start. Tampa Bay couldn't come back in a 5-1 loss in San Diego, its homer-happy lineup limited to just three hits by a sublime collective pitching performance from the Yankees.

But just as New York almost certainly regretted using an opener in Game 2 when Deivi García and J.A. Happ both got tagged, the Rays are probably wishing they had simply allowed Ryan Yarbrough to start instead of opening with Thompson, a 28-year-old right-handed reliever appearing in his third career playoff game.

“With their lineup being stacked so heavily right-handed, we wanted to get as much as possible out of him,” Cash said. “I know the strike-throwing kind of eluded him.”

The Rays announced after that Glasnow — who struck out 10 Yankees on Tuesday — would start again Friday, and he's expected to face New York's Game 1 starter Gerrit Cole in a rematch of last year's ALDS Game 5 between Houston and Tampa Bay. Cole pitched eight innings of one-run ball for the Astros in a 5-1 victory, while Glasnow was pulled after eight outs and four runs.

Glasnow threw 93 pitches in Game 2, getting the victory after tossing four-run ball over five innings. It's unclear how long his leash will be Friday, but an abbreviated outing is likely.

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source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Rough-opening-night-Rays-use-opener-get-burned-15632786.php