FORT MYERS, Fla. -- In only a few weeks, the Rays have already come to learn a lot about Rich Hill.
They’ve leaned on his insight and leadership. They’ve gained respect for his perseverance and late-career renaissance. They’ve seen that he’s willing to help younger players, and, he said, humbled by the opportunity to do so.
Hill said there’s something else we’ll learn about him after his Rays debut against the Red Sox went sideways on Friday afternoon at JetBlue Park, and he quickly proved his point when discussing his 28-pitch, three-hit, four-run, two-walk inning that ended without an out recorded.
“I'm really honest about outings, so that sucked,” Hill said during the Rays’ 6-5 loss to the Red Sox. “That’s one thing, that I hold myself to a higher standard.”
Of course, the Rays are not at all concerned about Hill’s pitching line in his first outing of Spring Training, nearly a month before Opening Day. The most important thing is that Hill is healthy, and he is. The rest can come later for the lefty, who turns 41 on Thursday, even if he was quite critical of his own performance.
“He wants to perform at his best, but he also has a big enough track record and enough success and probably some trying times in the game to appreciate, like, 'Hey, it happens sometimes,’” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “And I think that's what we chalk it up to.”
Hill said he felt great physically, with his fastball sitting between 86-88 mph. He just couldn’t drive the ball downhill, instead leaving a lot of fastballs and curveballs up in the zone, but said he thought that would be a “simple fix.”
Two misplays in left field hurt Hill, although only one of them was ruled an error, but he also walked two Red Sox hitters while giving up a double and a single. With his pitch count nearing 30, Tampa Bay decided to “roll” the inning and move on.
“The positives are [that I] physically felt great, felt awesome warming up, ton of strikes warming up,” Hill said. “The way the ball comes out of my hand is what is most important. Today, it wasn’t that great. So yes, frustrating. Planning on going out there and continuing to work and getting into a five-day schedule and just being better.”
Hill, who signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Rays last month, said his brief time with Tampa Bay has been “fantastic” so far. He’s made himself available to younger teammates seeking advice, and many of them have spoken highly of his perspective and friendly nature. Cash compared him favorably to former Rays pitcher Charlie Morton, another veteran who had a successful second act and made a huge impact on their clubhouse.
As happy as Hill is to help on that front, he’s also motivated to pitch well. Thus, the brutally honest self-assessment on Friday and the desire to get better moving forward.
“Now, the other side of it is going out there and performing and having that be the main focus for myself. That should be the main focus for me right now as far as camp is concerned: Get right and make sure the ball’s coming out the way that I want,” Hill said. “But it's been great getting to know the guys and being able to be of service wherever I can be.”
Game notes
• Left fielder Moises Gomez didn’t do Hill any favors during the first inning, losing two fly balls in the sun that would have been outs. The first one, hit by J.D. Martinez, was ruled an error and allowed a run to score. The second, a high fly by Marwin González, landed for an inning-ending, run-scoring ground-rule double. Gomez got some revenge in the second inning, clobbering a home run way out to center field off Eduardo Rodriguez.
“There was tough sun out there. No denying. That didn't help,” Cash said. “But I was glad to see Gomey come back and smoke the ball to center field.”
• High-leverage reliever Diego Castillo made his spring debut in the second inning, giving up a one-out single to Christian Arroyo but avoiding any further damage. His fastball sat at 94 mph and touched 96 mph, according to the JetBlue Park scoreboard.
“I feel ready mentally and physically,” Castillo said. “I feel ready to go.”
• Cash raved about the work of right-handers Joe Ryan and Chris Ellis and lefty Dietrich Enns, who combined for four scoreless innings and four strikeouts while allowing one hit.
“Those guys are impressive. Really impressive. Give our scouting department a lot of credit for finding those guys,” Cash said. “Joe we've had, but with D and Ellis, I mean, they're going to put themselves right in the mix of helping us in whatever capacity. That was very encouraging to see from all of them.”
• Infielder Mike Brosseau homered to right-center field in the fourth inning. After two singles and a walk, Brandon Lowe drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth. And the Rays strung together three straight singles in the sixth, including back-to-back RBI hits by Dalton Kelly and top prospect Wander Franco.
• The game ended in curious fashion. After Michael Chavis homered to right-center off pitching prospect Drew Strotman in the bottom of the seventh, the Rays lingered on the field, seemingly unsure if they’d continue playing past the walk-off home run so Strotman could get his work in. Cash quickly conferred with Boston manager Alex Cora across the field, and they agreed ending the game was the right thing to do.
Up next
Tyler Glasnow is set to make his second start of Spring Training as the Rays are scheduled to host the Braves on Saturday at Charlotte Sports Park. High-leverage reliever Pete Fairbanks, pitching prospect Shane Baz and right-hander Trevor Richards are also scheduled to pitch for Tampa Bay. Morton, the former Rays starter, is slated to pitch for Atlanta. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET, and the Rays’ radio broadcast will air the game on WDAE 95.3 FM.
Chris Archer is also expected to pitch in an intrasquad game on Saturday. There is a chance both games could be delayed or postponed, as there’s rain in the forecast for the afternoon. If that happens, Cash said the Rays will get their work done indoors.