Athletics look away after stellar debut from Rays’ newest starting pitcher

The Rays decided to call up their highly-touted flamethrower to make a spot start against a scuffling Braves club. Joe Boyle was acquired this past offseason in a deal that included crafty left-handed hurler Jeffrey Springs. We all miss Springs dearly in this rotation, but after yesterday's showing, most fans would claim that the Rays may have won this trade by a landslide.

In 10 starts a season ago, Joe Boyle produced a 6.42 ERA as he walked 40 opposing hitters in 47.2 innings. The A's thought of his command issues as a liability for their pitching staff and chose to trade him for a more stable presence on the mound. They acquired the converted reliever from the Rays to bolster the experience of their staff. In the Springs' best season for the Rays, he allowed only 31 free passes in 135 innings.

You can't blame them for the reassurance that Springs can bring you and he's done well for the AL West club thus far. In 15 innings, the North Carolina native is 2-1 with a 4.20 ERA. However, Tampa Bay decided to take the risk involved in acquiring Boyle and the A's are just now realizing their mistake.

In five innings yesterday against Atlanta, Joe Boyle was nearly flawless. The Notre Dame product gave up zero hits, while striking out seven Braves and walking only two. That adds up to a manageable 3.6 walks per nine innings, which is way down from his 7.6 walks per nine in 2024. Needless to say, the triple-digit hurler pitched about as well as Cash could've asked and we can't wait to see him thrive in a Rays uniform.

Unfortunately, Tampa Bay has returned his services to Triple-A Durham in exchange for off-speed specialist Eric Orze. This was a planned option as the Rays only needed him for this "spot start". However, the future ace will be back later down the road to cover more innings for this deep rotation.

Orze will be a great call-up to follow in the coming days. The Rays acquired the right-handed reliever from the Mets in the Jose Siri trade. He had a splendid spring, finishing with a 1.42 ERA in 6.1 innings. Hopefully, the 27-year old can bring some much-needed to energy to a bullpen that is off to an unexpectedly poor start to the season.