For Rays’ Jose Siri, year of change has a nice ring to it
HOUSTON — Last July 30, Seminole product Brett Phillips was the Rays’ starting centerfielder and over-the-top thrilled that the team was giving away basketball jerseys in his honor. Meanwhile, Jose Siri was playing for the Astros’ Triple-A team in Sugar Land, Texas.
That all changed the next day, when Tampa Bay acquired Siri from Houston in a trade for two minor-league pitchers and designated Phillips for assignment, then soon traded him to Baltimore.
The anniversary was marked before Saturday’s game with a ring for Siri, who received his 624-diamond, 55-sapphire, 15.30-carat weight bauble from manager Dusty Baker for being part of the Astros’ 2022 World Series championship team prior to the trade, and briefly slipped it on. He hit .178 with three homers and a .542 OPS in 48 games with Houston last season.
Siri acknowledged it seems like a long time since the deal.
“Probably more about a year and a half (ago),” he said via team interpreter Manny Navarro.
Siri, who is hitting .225 for the Rays with a team-co-leading 20 homers and a .797 OPS in 68 games this season, said he learned a lot in the interim.
“I’d say patience,” he said. “There was a lot of times where I wasn’t playing every day, and I had to learn to be patient and be able to just be ready whenever you can.”
Still, he is excited to share in the success of his former teammates, having seen photos and videos of the ring before receiving his own.
“In this game, there’s people that play 10, 11 years and they never have an opportunity to get a ring. So, I thank God for me that I’m able to accomplish that,” he said.
“There’s a lot of great players over there, a lot of teammates, a lot of good guys that they do a good job (with) over there, and it feels good to be able to live that with them.”
Siri got the additional prize Friday of starting the Rays’ ninth-inning, game-winning rally that beat his ex-mates, admitting afterward it meant a lot.
“Doing it against them, they know the capabilities I have, the abilities that I have to play here,” he said. “They know that’s life, that I was able to do it against them.”
Phillips signed with the Angels for this season but was designated for assignment in late May. He was 1-for-13 in very limited action over 19 games before being sent to Triple-A. In 43 games at Salt Lake, he is hitting .230 with two homers, 13 RBIs and a .686 OPS.
McClanahan pleased with form
Friday was Shane McClanahan’s fifth straight start without a win, the solid three-run, five-inning outing lowering his ERA to 6.65 during that stretch, which coincides with the start of his bout with back tightness.
But the two-time All-Star was pleased with his performance, which included an uptick in velocity, as he hit 99.7 mph and averaged 98.1.
“Just starting to finally feel good, man,” said McClanahan, 11-1 with a 3.00 ERA overall this season. “The (July 17) Texas outing (six innings, two runs) and, it’s funny, last outing (four innings, five runs, July 22 vs. Baltimore) I felt really good, too. It’s just baseball sometimes.
“To carry it over into (Friday) and work my ass off all season and to finally have some stuff kind of play out for me and get the soft contact, get the first-pitch strikes, start to really land all my pitches and get ahead in counts, it’s encouraging to see.”
Miscellany
Manager Kevin Cash planned for catcher Rene Pinto to pitch the final two innings Saturday to save the bullpen, but after he allowed three homers in his first inning, they opted for reliever Jake Diekman: “We might have been here all night if we sent (Pinto) back out there.” ... Cash said he “100%” supported Wander Franco trying to score from third on a first inning pop-up, noting it took a perfect play and agreed with Franco that he was safe even though the replay crew ruled otherwise. ... Zach Eflin tested his sore left knee throwing off the bullpen mound Saturday and felt good. Cash said the session went “fine” and “he’s doing better,” but there is still no decision on whether Eflin will start Tuesday in New York. … Outfielder Randy Arozarena is sporting a long and colorful new hairstyle — with blue, black and blond braids, and some gold metal bands — that he said will bring him power. … Add the Astros to the list of teams (most, but not all) that did a classy pressbox tribute to Dave Wills, the radio broadcaster who passed away in March.
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