The problem isn’t physical, the Tampa Bay Rays say.
The problem isn’t mechanical.
For Chris Archer, the problem is that opposing batters keep mashing his pitches into the outfield. Archer fell to 0-4 on the season Wednesday night against the Boston Red Sox, giving up three runs in the first and five in the first two innings in a 7-3 defeat. He threw only 4 2/3 innings but gave up eight hits, six earned runs and three walks. He faced 23 batters but gave up 11 baserunners.
“It might just be a little bit of a run,” said manager Kevin Cash.
“The first inning put the team behind the eight ball,” Archer said. “I didn’t execute pitches very well. They made the most out of [it]. I am capable of executing pitches better than I did.
“I’m not happy. I just have to be better. I’ll continue to work hard and get better every day. I trust and believe I’ll get past this.”
The Red Sox had 12 hits as they built a big lead.
For the Rays, Corey Dickerson and Kevin Kiermaier each had two hits. Dickerson hit his fourth home run and a double while Kiermaier had a double.
The Rays play the deciding game of the series today at 1:35. Jake Odorizzi faces former Ray David Price.
