Rays 'bullpenning' experiment continues: Relievers to start next three games vs. Orioles

The Tampa Bay Rays will spend the holiday weekend taking their pitching revolution to another level.

The Rays announced on Thursday that relief pitchers will start all three games of their series against the Baltimore Orioles, their most extreme version yet of a “bullpenning” gambit that took flight last weekend, when reliever Sergio Romo started consecutive games against the Los Angeles Angels.

This time, Romo will draw the Friday and Sunday starting assignments, according to the Tampa Bay Times, while fellow right-hander Ryne Stanek will start Saturday. The Times projected the "primary" pitchers to follow Romo and Stanek will be Ryan Yarbrough, Anthony Banda and Austin Pruitt.

The Rays split the two games started by Romo last week, as he struck out the side in his first game Saturday and retired four of six batters in his second outing.

This time, the motivations are similar – go at a primarily right-handed hitting club with righty relievers while limiting the exposure of their “true” starting pitcher.

Last week, it was Angels sluggers Mike Trout, Justin Upton and Albert Pujols that Romo aimed to neutralize; in fact, the top seven batters in the Angels’ Saturday lineup were right-handed.

This weekend, the Orioles will put forth right-handers Trey Mancini, Adam Jones, Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop near the top of their lineup. And so Romo will sling his beguiling slider at them for a short burst before turning it over to the rest of the Rays’ staff.

Stanek, 26, has a 5.76 ERA in 27 career appearances, all in relief. Romo made 588 career appearances – all as a reliever – before getting his first starting assignments.

The Rays lost Sunday’s game when Romo and friends were pitted against Angels rookie phenom Shohei Ohtani. They’re 22-25 this season, during which they’ve employed multiple “bullpen” days – games designed to be manned by several pitchers – but only now have begun games with a short-term reliever.

This weekend’s slate against the last-place Orioles (15-34) may give them a solid barometer of how effective their bullpenning can be.