Just For Starters: Ryan Yarbrough Sharp, But Hurt By 1 Big Inning Again vs. Rangers

Ryan Yarbrough's numbers this season are no indication of how well he's pitched. He's 0-2 with a 4.00 ERA now, but defensive miscues have added to that, as well as the fact that the Rays almost never score any runs for him. Here's our expanded ''Just For Starters'' story on Yarbrough's night on Tuesday, and how it mirrors many of his other appearances in May.

ARLINGTON, Texas — A trend has emerged with Ryan Yarbrough this season. The Tampa Bay Rays left-hander has been really good as a starter since returning from a groin injury in early May, but there's always one inning that winds up biting him.

The same thing happened on Tuesday night against the Texas Rangers. He cruised through three innings — not allowing a hit — but then gave up two home runs and a hard double off the wall in the fourth. He pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings afterward too, but it was too little, too late in the 3-0 loss to the Rangers.

He is now 0-2 on the season, with a 4.00 earned run average. The Rays are 1-5 in his six May appearances, but it doesn't really tell the whole story.

“Yarbs has been on a pretty good run,'' Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "He did a nice job in Baltimore, he did a nice job against New York and he did a nice job tonight. He gave us a chance.''

The Rangers did all their damage against Yarbrough in just eight pitches in the fourth inning, but he was great otherwise. Rangers shortstop Corey Seager hit a lead-off home run on the first pitch of the inning, and then Mitch Garver doubled off the left-field wall four pitches later. Then Adolis Garcia hit the second pitch he saw a whipping 440 feet into the seats. 

“It came fast, but even after it came, he did a nice job,’’ Cash said. 

That, though, is the trend with Yarbrough since he returned to the rotation on May 3 in Oakland. He's had six outings this month, with three things that really stand out:

One, he's pitched really well outside of one inning in each game and, two, the Rays are giving him practically no run support. Lastly, his last two appearances before Tuesday night were derailed by bad errors as well that had runs tacked on to his record through no fault of his own.

Let's take a quick look at his six starts since returning from a groin injury that forced him to miss the entire month of April, and show you how those two disturbing trends have been a big factor in his 27 innings of work.

• MAY 3 at OAKLAND: Yarbrough allowed two walks, three singles and a grand slam to A's third baseman Kevin Smith in the first inning to fall behind 5-1. He pitched another 1 2/3 scoreless innings after the damage. 
• MAY 8 at SEATTLE: Yarbrough pitched five scoreless innings, allowing just four hits. But when he left, the Rays hadn't scored either. He was fabulous, but got nothing to show for it. The Rays would lose 2-1.
• MAY 14 vs. TORONTO: Yarbrough pitched into the fourth inning, and left with the score tied 1-1. After giving up a first inning run, he didn't allow another hit. The Rays scored one run in the game.
• MAY 20 at BALTIMORE: Yarbrough pitched four scoreless innings as the bulk guy after Jalen Beeks pitched the first two innings. But in the seventh, he gave up a double and single and left with runners on second and third. The Orioles scored twice on a Brooks Raley wild pitch and an error by Randy Arozarena on a fly ball to left. Yarbrough was charged with both runs, one earned. They would later lose in the 13th inning.  
• MAY 26 vs. NEW YORK: Yarbrough didn't allow a hit through the first five innings against the Yankees, but the Rays never scored a run either. That's the second time that's happened in a Yarbrough start this year through five innings. In the sixth, he hit Matt Carpenter to start the inning and then allowed two singles and the first run of the game. He left with one out, but then the Yankees scored two more runs on a Taylor Walls error. Yarbrough was also charged with those two runs, one earned.
• MAY 31 at TEXAS: Pitched three scoreless innings with just one hit batter, and then was solid again after the fourth, pitching 3 1/3 scoreless innings after the two homers. But the Rays got beat 3-0, and had another rough night offensively.

Amazing, isn't it? In two starts (Seattle and New York) he was perfect through five but stuck in 0-0 games. And last night, the Rays got shut out, never scoring a run for him. Twice, he's also been burned by bad errors. So, yes, he's been far better than his record and ERA would lead you to believe.

Here are Yarbrough's numbers from Tuesday night, and the cumulative stats for all Rays starting pitchers this season:

Rays' Starters By The Numbers

• Starter: Ryan Yarbrough
• Game: Tuesday (May 31) at Texas Rangers
• Decision: Lost, and is now 0-2 on the season.
• Team result: Lost 3-0, and is now 28-21 on the season.
• Innings pitched: 6.2
• Total pitches: 87
• Strikes: 57
• Runs allowed: 3
• Earned runs: 3
• Hits allowed: 6
• Walks allowed: 0
• Total strikeouts: 6
• Status upon departure: Ryan Yarbrough had his longest start of the season, getting through two outs in the seventh inning. He retired the first two batters in the seventh, but then hit Josh Smith with a pitch and Eli White reached on a bunt single. Yarbrough was replaced by Shawn Armstrong, who got out of the inning on a line drive from Corey Seager. Yarbrough left trailing 3-0. 
  
• The skinny: Yarbrough again got off to a good start, allowing just a hit batter in the first three innings before allowing two home runs in the fourth. He's been good, but the Rays aren't giving him any run support either. 

Season Totals for Rays Starters

• Starters: Shane McClanahan (10), Drew Rasmussen (10), Corey Kluber
  (9), Ryan Yarbrough (5), Jeffrey Springs (4), Josh Fleming (2), Luis Patino, Tommy Romero,
• Games: 42 (7 openers, not included in numbers)
• Decisions: 14-13 through Tuesday
• - Most wins: Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan (5)
• Team result: 28-21 through Tuesday
• Innings pitched (avg.): 201.2/4.80
• - Season high innings: 7.0, Shane McClanahan (April 24, May 11, May 17)
• - Season low innings: 2/3, Luis Patino (April 11)
• Total pitches (avg.): 3,224/76.75
• - Season high pitches: 100, Shane McClanahan (May 11)
• - Season low pitches: 13, Luis Patino (April 11)
• Total strikeouts (avg.): 208/4.95
• - Season high strikeouts: 11, Shane McClanahan (April 30, May 11)
• Runs allowed (avg.): 84/2.00
• Earned runs (avg.): 79/1.88
• Hits allowed (avg.): 172/4.09
• - Season most hits allowed: 11, Corey Kluber (April 22, May 10)
• Walks allowed (avg.): 53/1.26
• Starter ERA: 3.53

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