The change of scenery apparently hasn’t helped Jalen Beeks … yet.
The Boston Red Sox traded the 25-year-old lefty to the Tampa Bay Rays last week for right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. In two appearances (one start) with the Red Sox this season, Beeks went 0-1 with a 12.79 ERA in 6 1/3 innings pitched.
So, how did the rookie fare in his Rays debut Saturday night?
Beeks pitched 3 1/3 innings out of the bullpen against the Baltimore Orioles, surrendering eight earned runs on 10 hits and three walks in Tampa’s 11-2 loss.
Here are some of the lowlights:
On the bright side: There’s really nowhere to go but up for Beeks — unless, of course, he gets sent back down to the minor leagues.
“It probably wasn’t the best outing,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said after the game, via the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin.
Beeks isn’t your prototypical lefty prospect. His fastball hardly lights up radar guns, and he relies on changing speeds and locating pitches to succeed. As a result, Beeks is used to having to prove himself, something he’s prepared to do with his new club.
“I’ve got to make my adjustments,” Beeks said. “I’ve struggled at each level, that’s what nobody really sees. … At every level I’ve got to prove it for a while at least.”
The good news for Beeks is he plays for a team with low expectations and has virtually no chance of making the playoffs. He should get plenty of opportunities going forward to prove he belongs on a Major League Baseball roster.
Now it’s up to him to make the best of them.
