Notes: Archer makes long-awaited debut

Chris Archer has started 370 games in his professional career, plus another 27 in Spring Training. He’s pitched plenty of times in a Rays uniform. But Friday afternoon felt different.

Archer said he woke up nervous. He channeled his anxious energy into excitement in the Rays’ clubhouse on Friday morning, turning up music and dancing with Willy Adames, but the emotions set back in on the drive to JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla. Then Archer did something he hadn’t done in over a year, something he’d missed dearly: He pitched in a competitive game, against another team, in front of fans.

Archer retired all four hitters he faced to open the Rays’ 8-2 loss to the Red Sox, getting three groundouts and one strikeout while throwing 14 of his 25 pitches for strikes. It was his first game action since March 6, 2020, when he threw two innings for the Pirates against the Blue Jays in Dunedin. Since then, Archer has undergone thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, battled COVID-19, completed a long rehabilitation process, been cut loose by Pittsburgh and re-signed with Tampa Bay.

Yes, it felt good to be back.

“There’s nothing that can simulate this, so it was really, really nice to be on a baseball field with guys behind me,” Archer said. “I haven't been healthy and on a mound in a stadium, in that setting, in a long time. So it was really, really nice.”

Archer said he hadn’t felt truly healthy on the mound since early in the 2019 season. He dealt with hip/core injuries in '18 and the shoulder/neck issues from mid-’19 to last Spring Training, which ultimately led to his TOS surgery. Archer said he “took the governors off” on Friday, the start of his game buildup toward the regular season.

He pitched well, too. He ran into some deep counts against Alex Verdugo, who took a changeup for a called third strike, and J.D. Martinez, who grounded out to shortstop Wander Franco. But Archer's changeup was quite effective, his slider was there when he needed it, and manager Kevin Cash said his fastball velocity was “right in line with where you’d want it to be” his first time out.

“I hope he felt good about it,” Cash said, “because we certainly did.”

Archer evaluated his fastball command as “so-so,” but this was not a day for him to be overly self-critical. To understand how significant this day was for him, consider that two of his best friends from North Carolina flew down just to sit behind home plate and watch his 1 1/3 innings.

“I haven't been able to express this energy in a full year, so it was really nice to be out there and just be me and just be free,” Archer said.

Archer said he will increase his pitch count and the intensity of his outings the rest of Spring Training. He’s not expecting to throw 110 pitches out of the gate, more likely preparing to throw four or five innings his first time out. But he said he has “no doubts” at this point that he’ll be ready for the start of the season.

“I'm really happy with where I'm at and looking forward to where I'm going,” Archer said.

Game notes
• Ryan Thompson quickly finished the second inning in relief of Archer, retiring the only two hitters he faced. Trevor Richards, ticketed for a versatile multi-inning role, struck out four in two innings, but got tagged for two runs after center fielder Manuel Margot lost a two-out fly ball in the sun, which led directly to a Christian Arroyo homer.

“Richie's done well this spring,” Cash said. “[Rays pitching coach] Kyle [Snyder] is very excited [about] where he's at and how he can help us in multiple ways.”

• Relievers Hunter Strickland and Andrew Kittredge had their innings “rolled” (ended early) due to high pitch counts, with Strickland allowing two runs and Kittredge four. Right-handers Chris Mazza and Joey Krehbiel each worked one scoreless inning.

• Tampa Bay only scratched across two runs on three hits. Brandon Lowe worked a bases-loaded walk in the fifth, and Dalton Kelly homered in the sixth. The Rays' only other hits were doubles by Miles Mastrobuoni and Margot, who is 6-for-14 this spring.

Rules reaction
On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced a series of experimental rule changes that will be tested in the Minors this season in an effort to generate more balls in play, create action on the bases and improve the pace of play.

Those rules include slightly larger bases with less slippery surfaces (Triple-A), a requirement that all four infielders line up on the dirt and a potential second-half mandate keeping two on each side of second base (Double-A), forcing pitchers to step off the rubber for pickoff attempts (High-A), a limit of two pickoff attempts per plate appearance (Low-A), a 15-second pitch clock (Low-A West) and an automatic ball-strike system (Low-A Southeast).

Rays shortstop prospect Taylor Walls said he felt everyone is on the same page in believing more action on the field is in everyone’s best interest. He’s in favor of the larger bag at first base to prevent injuries, and he’s curious to see how the six-inch difference in between the bases affects close plays at second. The one that didn’t sit too well with him, he said, was the rule regarding infield shifts.

“I feel like that's how the game evolves, to me, is people get smarter, people take notes, you make adjustments,” Walls said, drawing a comparison to how the Golden State Warriors changed the NBA by spreading the floor and emphasizing three-point shooters. “So I mean, to me, that is changing baseball. It's not like making the game safer to keep guys on the field -- which I agree with, with the bases getting bigger. If you want to do what you want to do to make the game safer, keep guys playing longer, I don't think any player would have any problem with that. But then when you go to changing the way some people take an edge on the game and how some people create advantages just by doing their homework and being smart, I just feel like that doesn't rub me the right way.”

Cash said he hadn’t spent much time reading the new rules, though he was generally in support of anything “with the intent to speed up the game or the time of the game.” As for how they might adjust to a potential change like the Double-A rule keeping infielders on the dirt?

“We’ll find a way to make it work,” Cash said.

Up next
Rich Hill will make his second start of the spring on Saturday afternoon as the Rays host the Twins at Charlotte Sports Park. Hill struggled his first time out against Boston, but Tampa Bay is confident the veteran left-hander will play an important role this season. Also scheduled to pitch are lefties Cody Reed and Jeffrey Springs and righty reliever Chaz Roe.

First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET. The game will air on FOX Sports Sun and MLB.TV, with a Rays radio call available on WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM and MLB Audio.