Just For Starters: Breaking Down Ryan Yarbrough's Great Start vs. Mariners

Ryan Yarbrough's second start of the season was much better than his first. The Tampa Bay left-hander threw five scoreless innings against Seattle, allowing just four hits. Here's our "Just For Starters'' segment on Yarbrough's day.

SEATTLE, Wash. — Ryan Yarbrough knew what went wrong in his first start last week, and he was dead-set on fixing that on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners. The Tampa Bay lefty did just that, throwing five scoreless innings, and allowing just four hits.

“Yarbs was really encouraging. That was the highlight of our day, getting through five and being efficient,'' Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said after the 2-1 loss to Seattle in 10 innings. "He had some good bite to the cutter and you could tell by the swings they were taking they weren’t picking it up. He looked the part like he’s been for so many years.''

Here's what Yarbrough did Sunday afternoon, along with the cumulative numbers of the starters through 29 games so far:

Rays' Starters By The Numbers

• Starter: Ryan Yarbrough
• Game: Sunday (May 8) at Seattle Mariners
• Decision: None
• Team result: Won, to go to 18-10 on the season.
• Innings pitched: 5.0
• Total pitches: 68
• Strikes: 40
• Runs allowed: 0
• Earned runs: 0
• Hits allowed: 4
• Walks allowed: 1
• Total strikeouts: 4
• Status upon departure: Ryan Yarbrough left after five innings with the game still scoreless. He was replaced by Ralph Garza Jr. in the sixth inning
  
• The skinny: Yarbrough was outstanding, especially since everything went off the rails in his first start last Tuesday, when he gave up five runs in the first inning. All of his pitches were working on Sunday, and he kept Seattle pitchers off balance the entire game.

Season Totals for Rays Starters

• Starters: Shane McClanahan (6), Drew Rasmussen (6), Corey Kluber
  (5), Josh Fleming (2), Ryan Yarbrough (2), Luis Patino, Tommy Romero,
• Games: 23 (6 openers, not included in numbers)
• Decisions: 6-7 thru Sunday
• Team result: 18-11 thru Sunday
• Innings pitched (avg.): 103.2/4.6
• - Season high innings: 7.0, Shane McClanahan (April 24)
• - Season low innings: 2/3, Luis Patino (April 11)
• Total pitches (avg.): 1,677/73.0
• - Season high pitches: 90, Shane McClanahan (April 30)
• - Season low pitches: 13, Luis Patino (April 11)
• Total strikeouts (avg.): 110/4.7
• - Season high strikeouts: 11, Shane McClanahan (April 30)
• Runs allowed (avg.): 48/2.1
• Earned runs (avg.): 44/1.9
• Hits allowed (avg.): 90/3.9
• - Season most hits allowed: 11, Corey Kluber (April 22)
• Walks allowed (avg.): 33/1.4
• Starter ERA: 3.82