Rays Open 13-Game Homestand With Series Against Angels, Braves

Still licking their wounds after a three-game sweep in Arlington over the weekend, the Tampa Bay Rays (4-5) return to the comforts of home to start a two-week homestand. This week, they’ll host the Los Angeles Angels and Atlanta Braves at George M. Steinbrenner Field, where they look to get back on track.

A Look at Last Week

Last week started strong for the Rays, as they picked up 6-1 and 7-0 wins against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday and Tuesday. Strong starting pitching performances were key for Tampa, as Drew Rasmussen put up five scoreless innings Monday. In Tuesday’s contest, Shane Baz stole the show with 10 strikeouts across six scoreless innings.

While the pitching stayed solid throughout the week, the bats went cold. The Pirates took the series finale 4-2 before the Texas Rangers manhandled the Rays in three straight. Offense has been an issue for manager Kevin Cash’s squad nine games into the season, as they’ve only eclipsed five runs on three occasions.

Los Angeles Angels (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)

After finishing 25.5 games out of first place in the AL West a season ago, early returns for the Angels (6-3) look strong in 2025. The rotation hasn’t been special, but it has been far from an unmitigated disaster and the offense has picked up the slack when needed.

With Mike Trout batting under the Mendoza Line, it’s been catcher Logan O’Hoppe who has been powering Los Angeles’ bats. The fourth-year man from New York has homered in five of his seven appearances this season, leading the Angels in hits, home runs, total bases and RBIs.

23-year-old second baseman Kyren Paris has also impressed Angelenos in this young season. He’s shaken off two seasons of struggles in minimal action and is batting .444 and slugging .889 through 18 at-bats this season.

Atlanta Braves (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

The Braves are in the midst of a seven-year playoff streak, but manager Brian Snitker’s team has looked far from a playoff team in the 1-8 start. The schedule hasn’t been in their favor, as they started the season with a seven-game road trip in Southern California against the Padres and Dodgers, but it’s still a start nobody could have predicted.

The offense was ice cold in California, scoring one run or less in four games. A 10-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday may have signaled good things to come, but that was followed by another scoreless outing.

If there’s one bright spot for Atlanta this season, it’s starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach. The 24-year-old was solid in his debut season last year, but he has elevated in 2024. He went eight scoreless with 10 strikeouts in the aforementioned rout of Miami and held the Padres to one run in six innings his first time on the mound.