Needing a fill-in starter for Saturday's game against the Yankees, the Rays recalled top pitching prospect Blake Snell. Above, he finishes his walk from the bullpen to the Tampa Bay dugout.
They had to be pleased with the results. While the baby faced lefty only lasted five innings, he gave the Yankees just a run, two hits and a walk, while striking out six.
Impressive but not perfect -- as witnessed by a pair of wild pitches, one of which brought home the Yankees 1st inning run. Back in the dugout, pitching coach Jim Hickey met with Snell and catcher Hank Conger to help settle the rookie down.
That pep talk helped. So did Snell's abundant talent. He kept the Yanks scoreless for the rest of his five innings. He left with the lead, and had the Tampa Bay bullpen not surrendered a pair of late inning runs, he might have ended the day with a victory.
Having succeeded in his debut, the Rays immediately optioned him to the minors. Surprising? For a small market franchise trying to hold onto its young talent as long as it can, Tampa Bay is trying to maximize his time there. More confident than ever in what they've got, they want to wait as long as they can -- and hold back his arbitration eligibility as well -- before bringing him back to work alongside their ace Chris Archer. But you can bank on Snell returning before long.
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