It’s little more than a silver lining at this point of a lost season, but Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Chris Archer reached the 200-inning mark for the third straight year Saturday night.
Archer didn’t enjoy the type of season he anticipates when breaking camp each spring, but reaching turning in 200-plus innings is still a feat of durability. When Archer took the Tropicana Field mound Saturday at 6:10 p.m., only 10 pitchers in Major League Baseball had worked that many. Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman added his name after finishing four innings in a losing effort Saturday afternoon against the New York Yankees. Then Cleveland Indians Cy Young candidate Corey Kluber joined the club midway through the second inning against the Chicago White Sox, as did National League Cy Young candidate Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals.
Archer entered his final 2017 start needing to complete four innings to hit 200 and he did so by keeping the Baltimore Orioles off the board and surrendering two hits and a walk over the first four frames.
By working five innings, Archer came within a third of an inning of matching last year’s total of 201 1/3. He set his career-high in 2015, his best season since breaking into the bigs in 2012. Archer pitched 212 innings, reached his first All-Star Game and placed fifth in the American League Cy Young vote in 2015.
The 29-year-old did make his second All-Star appearance this season as an alternate, but the results and the numbers are not where he, nor the team, wants or needs them to be. The Rays owned a 3-0 lead when Archer exited Saturday and remaining the pitcher of record would improve his record to 10-12. He finishes with a 4.07 earned run average and 1.26 walks plus hits per inning pitched percentage, both subpar for the Rays’ No. 1 arm.
Archer did, however, strike out six Orioles and get within three Ks of his career high of 252, set in that 2015 season. His 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings and 4.19 strikeouts per walks rates are single-season bests.
Eric Horchy is a staff writer with OutsidePitchMLB.com. You can follow and interact with him on Twitter: @EricHorchy
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