34 Trevor Richards SP

Richards allowed two runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out six over 3.1 innings Sunday against the Tigers.

Richards surrendered a two-run homer in the first inning, though he was able to hold Detroit off the board for the remainder of his outing. He was lifted with 71 pitches (51 strikes), as the Rays continue to build him back up to a starting role after acquiring the right-hander from the Marlins at the end of July. The 26-year-old now owns a 4.53 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with a 109:52 K:BB over 115.1 innings this season in the majors.

Richards was recalled from Triple-A Durham and will start Sunday's game against the Tigers.

Though Richards' promotion doesn't come as a surprise, the Rays were expected to deploy him as a bulk reliever behind an opener rather than as a traditional starter in his team debut. In the aftermath of Saturday's 1-0, 13-inning win, manager Kevin Cash may have decided it was better to have Richards eat innings right away rather than calling on a member of his overtaxed bullpen to serve as an opener. In any case, Richards will likely have a restricted workload Sunday after maxing out at only 49 pitches during his three appearances with Durham following his July 31 acquisition from the Marlins.

Richards will be the bulk reliever in Sunday's game against the Tigers, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

He is with the big-league club Saturday but won't be activated until Sunday. Richards has given up one run while striking out eight over 5.1 innings in three appearances at Triple-A. He has not gone more than 2.1 innings in that span, however, so even if the primary pitcher goes one inning, Richards is not a lock to go deep enough to qualify for the win.

Richards appears on track to join the Rays for Sunday's game against the Tigers and work as a bulk reliever in that contest, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Richards had transitioned to the bullpen with the Marlins before he was dealt to the Rays on July 31, so his new organization is having him get stretched back out in the minors in preparation for an eventual starting/bulk-relief role with the big club. In his last outing with Triple-A Durham on Aug. 10, Richards built up to 49 pitches, working 2.1 innings in the appearance and giving up one run on three hits and a walk.

Richards worked up to 49 pitches over 2.1 innings in an appearance for Triple-A Durham on Saturday and could be in the midst of being groomed for a big-league role, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Richards who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Marlins, logged just one inning in his first outing for the Bulls last Tuesday. However, he saw an appreciable bump in workload Saturday while allowing one earned run on three hits and a walk and he also struck out four. The right-hander could potentially fill a variety of roles for the Rays if he's promoted, including long reliever, opener, or even traditional starter.

Richards will join Triple-A Durham to start Sunday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Richards was converted to a bullpen role during his last week in Miami, but the Rays seemingly still view him as a starter. He should spend a fair amount of time in Tampa over the last two months once he's stretched out again.

Richards was traded along with Nick Anderson from Miami to Tampa Bay on Wednesday in exchange for Jesus Sanchez and Ryne Stanek, Craig Mish of FNTSY Sports Radio reports.

Richards has been decent but not particularly impressive for the Marlins this season, posting a 4.50 ERA, a number which falls right in line with his 4.42 ERA in his rookie campaign. His 21.3 percent strikeout rate is slightly below average, while his 10.6 percent walk rate and 35.6 percent groundball rate are both fairly poor. According to Juan Toribio of MLB.com, the plan is to stretch Richards back out as a starter, though it's unclear if he'll do that with the big club or with Triple-A Durham.

Richards could be part of the Marlins' closer mix following the Sergio Romo trade, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Only recently moved to the bullpen, Richards picked up his first career hold Sunday when he walked one batter in a scoreless seventh inning. Miami manager Don Mattingly invoked the name of another Trevor -- Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman -- when discussing how the 26-year-old's plus changeup could be effective in relief, but calling that comparison premature would be an understatement. Even so, the Marlins have little to lose by experimenting with the closer role down the stretch to see if anyone can step up and seize it, so Richards could well get some save chances.

Richards is being shifted to the bullpen, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Richards was knocked around for seven runs on seven hits -- including a pair of homers -- in his last start Monday, pushing his ERA for the season to 4.62. The Marlins will give Elieser Hernandez another look in the rotation at Richards' expense, though Frisaro also notes that Richards has drawn some trade interest, and it's possible he ultimately returns to a starting role on another club.

Richards (3-12) gave up seven runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out seven through five innings to take the loss against the White Sox on Monday.

Richards was dominant at times while generating 14 swinging strikes, but he was hit early and often in his 12th loss. It's been a rough stretch for Richards, posting an 8.28 ERA in his last five outings. The 26-year-old has a 4.62 ERA with an 8.3 K/9 and a 4.1 BB/9 through 20 starts this season. Richards will make his next start Sunday against the Diamondbacks at Marlins Park.

Richards (3-11) took the loss Wednesday as the Marlins were downed 3-2 by the Padres, giving up three runs on eight hits and three walks over five innings while striking out five.

The right-hander wasn't very efficient, throwing 54 of 90 pitches for strikes as he lost his fourth straight start and sixth consecutive decision. Richards will carry a 4.24 ERA and 93:48 K:BB through 104 innings into his next outing Monday, on the road against the White Sox.

Richards (3-10) gave up four runs on six hits and five walks while striking out five through five innings to take the loss against the Braves on Sunday.

Richards allowed too many baserunners to be effective, and a two-run home run in the third inning was devastating to his stat line. The right-hander struggled as the first half came to a close, posting a 6.79 ERA and a 20:12 K:BB in his last five starts. Richards has a 3-10 record and a 4.18 ERA through 18 starts heading into the All-Star break.

Richards (3-9) gave up three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three over five innings to take the loss against the Phillies on Sunday.

It was another disappointing outing for Richards. The right-hander has given up nine earned runs in his last two starts and has seen his ERA rise to 4.02 for the season. The 26-year-old has struggled in June, posting a 1-4 record and a 4.47 ERA over six starts. Richards will get his next start Saturday against the Braves at SunTrust Park.

Richards (3-8) took the loss Tuesday, coughing up six runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings while striking out three as the Marlins were downed 6-1 by the Nationals.

The right-hander was tagged for three runs in the third inning and then three more in the fourth, putting Miami in a hole it wasn't going to climb out of against a locked-in Max Scherzer. Richards will take a 3.94 ERA and 80:38 K:BB through 89 innings into his next start Sunday, at home against the Phillies.

Richards recorded eight strikeouts and gave up one run on four hits and three walks through 5.2 innings in a no-decision against the Cardinals on Wednesday.

RIchards didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning and seemed to be dominating until he unraveled in the sixth by allowing three hits and his only run. This was a nice rebound performance after allowing five runs in his last start. The 26-year old has a 3-7 record with a 3.54 ERA through 15 starts this season. Richards will make his next start Tuesday against the Nationals.

Richards (3-7) allowed five runs on 11 hits with one strikeout and no walks across five innings while taking a loss against the Pirates on Friday.

The 26-year-old only allowed two hits in the first three innings, but he yielded one run in the fourth, and then the floodgates opened during the fifth. This outing snapped a streak where Richards had allowed one or zero runs in four straight starts. The loss drops him to 3-7, but his other numbers -- 3.68 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 78.1 innings -- aren't bad at all. He is scheduled to pitch next at the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Richards (3-6) allowed one run on two hits with three walks and five strikeouts across seven innings but took a loss against the Braves on Saturday.

Without any run support, Richards lost a 1-0 affair. He has allowed no more than one run in any of his last four outings, but he is just 2-1 during that stretch. That's pretty much the story of Richards' season. While he is 3-6, Richards owns a sparkling 3.06 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and .206 batting average against. He also has 68 strikeouts in 73.1 innings. Richards will look to keep his hot streak going in his next start at home against the Pirates on Friday.

Richards (3-5) earned the win by holding the Padres scoreless through five innings of work Sunday, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out eight.

Richards retired the first four batters before walking Hunter Renfroe in the second inning. He kept San Diego's bats quiet until the third with a bunt single to Austin Allen, which turned out to be his only hit allowed of the night. The right-hander then worked through a 28-minute delay as an exterminator removed a swarm of bees from a microphone behind home plate. The interruption did little to disrupt his flow; Richards pitched one of his best games of the year to pick up his second straight win and first on the road while recording a career-high eight strikeouts. His changeup looked as effective as ever, with 30 of 37 thrown for strikes. The 31-year-old has scattered five runs over his last four starts and will carry a 3.53 ERA and 1.24 WHIP into his next start Saturday against Atlanta.

Richards (2-5) allowed one run on two hits with five strikeouts and one walk across seven innings while earning a victory against the Giants on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old has certainly pitch poorly at times, but he's also been the victim of poor run support. In his first 10 starts, Richards allowed zero or one run four times and in all of those starts, he settled for a no-decision or took the loss every time. But Richards has now won two of his last three outings. Richards is 2-5 with a 3.82 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 61.1 innings this year. He is scheduled to start next at the Padres on Sunday.

Richards threw 5.2 innings in a no-decision against the Tigers on Thursday, giving up one earned run on eight hits, striking out six and walking one as the Marlins won 5-2.

Richards turned in a solid effort but had to settle for the no-decision after departing the contest with the Marlins down 1-0 before they staged a ninth-inning comeback and got the victory. The right-hander owns a 4.14 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP and a 50:27 K:BB through 54.1 innings.