Rangers were ‘ready for every pitch,’ Rays starter Zach Eflin says
ST. PETERSBURG — Rays starter Zach Eflin understood going into Wednesday’s elimination game of the American League Wild Card Series the Rangers’ offense was dangerous.
The veteran right-hander, however, was surprised by how well Texas was able to anticipate what he was throwing in Tampa Bay’s 7-1, season-ending loss at Tropicana Field.
The Rangers scored five of their runs, four earned, off Eflin on eight hits, including two home runs. He struck out three and walked two. Eflin, who went just five innings in his first-ever postseason start, got particularly burned on his cut fastball.
“I didn’t think I had bad enough command to warrant two home runs on it, especially one on the first pitch,” Eflin said. “Thought that was a little fishy.
“It was either they were completely on me and were ready for anything and hit barrels, or I was tipping. One or the other. I don’t think I was tipping, because I’ve done pretty good this year and I haven’t changed anything for the playoffs. I think it was more so just they were aware of the situation with the pitcher they were facing. They made really good swings at the end of the day.”
After working around centerfielder Manuel Margot’s defensive miscue in the first, Eflin was in control for the first three innings. It was in the fourth, as Texas faced him for a second time, that the Rangers did damage.
Adolis Garcia led off the inning with a 416-foot home run off a cutter that was down-and-away. Five hitters and two outs later, Texas’ No. 9 hitter, Evan Carter, hammered a cut fastball that hung in the middle of the strike zone for a two-run homer, putting the Rangers ahead 4-0.
“(Eflin) got on a good run, made some nice plays behind him, and then they had some good at-bats, and the big two-run homer from Carter was pretty crucial,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “That fifth inning where I think he gave up one run, he did such a tremendous job of navigating through that. Not a lot of hard-hit balls. But the damage was done ultimately in the fourth.”
Though Texas limped into the series after losing the AL West on the final day, it showed for most of the season that its offense would be tough to reckon with come October. The Rangers led the AL in runs, batting, average, slugging and OPS, and ranked second in home runs.
Eflin wouldn’t be surprised if the Rangers advance further in the postseason.
“I felt like they were just ready for every pitch,” Eflin said. “They led the league in a lot of stats and it wasn’t an easy lineup to navigate 1 through 9, and they were pretty much ready for anything. But I feel like they’re going to be a threat this entire postseason. They put on quality at-bats, and they draw their walks. They slug. It’s a good team over there.”
Eflin bemoaned the shockingly sudden end to what had been a career year for him.
The Rays’ big offseason signing at $40 million over three years, he ended his first season in Tampa Bay 16-8 with a 3.50 ERA. After years of struggling with injuries in the Phillies system, he made 31 starts this season.
He credited pitching coach Kyle Snyder and the Rays’ training staff for his success.
“This year, I finally put together a decent enough year to stay healthy and throw the baseball well, so we’re excited for next year,” Eflin said. “And being able to learn as much as I did this year has been a huge, huge step for me, and I am looking forward to carrying that into next year.”
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