Bullpen’s Performance Underscores Resilience Of Playoff-Bound Tampa Bay Rays

After the Rays clinched a playoff spot Friday night in Houston, Kevin Cash was asked about how his team has showed great resilience in overcoming the many injuries that affected every corner of his roster this season.

“Credit all those guys and credit our front office and everybody that is involved to allow us to have that type of depth,” said the manager, in what it has taken to get through a season that has the Rays going to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

Depth and resilience can certainly overcome many hurdles that surface during the course of a 162-game season. The best is example is a bullpen that headed into the final three games of the regular season with the sixth best ERA (3.27) in the majors and has a 3.13 ERA since the all-star break. Such numbers have been recorded despite the loss of righthanders Andrew Kittredge (Tommy John surgery) and J.P. Feyereisen (shoulder impingement) to season-ending injuries within a week in June.

Kittredge landed a spot on the all-star team in 2021 when he won nine games, saved eight, had a 1.88 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. He had a very productive first two months this season with three wins, five saves and a 0.85 WHIP when he went on the injured list.

Feyereisen had not allowed an earned run and had a miniscule 0.49 WHIP in 22 appearances while winning four games and picking up a save when he was shelved.

The loss of Kittredge and Feyereisen came at a time when Pete Fairbanks (lat strain) had yet to make his season debut. It should also be noted that Nick Anderson, who missed most of 2021 with an elbow injury, was lost for the season two weeks before opening day with recurring elbow problems.

As has been the case with Cash’s team in recent years, when opportunity knocks somebody usually answers. To say Jason Adam responded to an increased role would be a gross understatement. The 31-year-old righthander could be considered the team’s most valuable player – an award that went to Shane McClanahan – given how he stepped up after Kittredge and Feyereisen went down.

Adam, who had 79 career appearances (all in relief) with three teams prior to signing with the Rays for $900,000 plus incentives after the lockout ended in March, was unscored upon in 14 of 16 appearances while making more and more late-inning appearances after Kittredge and Feyereisen went down. He entered the final series of the season with a 0.76 WHIP and an opponent OPS of .471 that was good for second (minimum 40 innings) in the American League.

“There are a lot of egos in sports and we don’t have any of that here,” Adam said at the end of August, in referring to a bullpen that has resembled a revolving door with 29 different pitchers having been summoned from it. “We don’t care if we are throwing in the second inning or ninth inning. We just want to do our jobs so that we can win a ballgame, go in the (clubhouse) to celebrate and do it again the next game.”

There has been plenty of celebrating following many of Fairbanks’ recent outings. The 28-year-old, acquired from Texas in mid-season 2019, returned in July and has dominated the opposition during an active string of 22 consecutive scoreless appearances. He and Adam are tied for the team lead in saves with eight, and Fairbanks sports a WHIP of 0.66.

A bullpen that in late August lost the services of Ryan Thompson (triceps, hopeful of returning for spring training) benefitted greatly from the return of lefties Jalen Beeks (currently on IL, could return) and Colin Poche from Tommy John surgery. It has also had contributions from the likes of Shawn Armstrong, Garrett Cleavinger and Javy Guerra, who were with other organizations when this season began.

While anything can happen in an expanded playoff field, any success the Rays experience in the postseason will likely be in very large part to the bullpen.