The Tampa Bay Rays entered Saturday night three games back in the hunt for a wild-card spot. The Rays had to feel good about their chances of earning a victory -- one, they were playing the Chicago White Sox; two, they were starting ace Chris Archer. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, things fell apart quickly.
That's because Archer allowed home runs to Yolmer Sanchez and Alen Hanson to begin the game. He then exited alongside the trainer, with Austin Pruitt taking over on the mound.
Archer is pulled from the game just 8 pitches in, and the @RaysBaseball trail the White Sox early on. Watch live on FOX Sports Sun. #RaysUppic.twitter.com/EEcRQDgiaD
— FOX Sports Florida (@FOXSportsFL) September 2, 2017
Archer left with forearm tightness, according to the team:
Chris Archer left tonight's game with right lateral forearm tightness. His removal was precautionary.
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 3, 2017
On the season, Archer's fastball had averaged 95.7 mph, per Brooks Baseball. On Saturday night, Statcast clocked him in at 93 mph, with his quickest coming in at 94.1 mph.
Archer carried a 3.66 ERA (114 ERA+) and 4.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio into the start.
