Ian Seymour lifted after three against Red Sox

Seymour’s whiff rate remained about what it was in his start against the Red Sox last week, but he allowed just six hard-hit balls in 87 pitches after giving up five in 61 against the Sox. The left-hander’s fastball remains one of the slowest in the league at 91.2 mph but as long as all his offspeed stuff is going this well, he can remain a usable mixed-league starter. Seymour draws the Rangers at home in his next scheduled appearance.

The Jays lack threatening left-handed hitters right now, so the Rays will let Legumina deal with Ernie Clement and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the first. Seymour pitched just three innings and gave up three runs in his last start Saturday against the Red Sox. Working in the bulk role makes him a better bet to get a win today.

The Rays are expected to go with Mason Englert, either as a traditional starter or behind an opener for the second game of Friday’s doubleheader. Ian Seymour will then get the ball on Saturday and Shane McClanahan will start in Friday’s series finale.

It’s fair to say that Seymour probably should’ve been in Tampa Bay’s season-opening rotation instead of pitching out of the bullpen. The 27-year-old southpaw isn’t overpowering, instead relying on command and pitch sequencing, mixing his sweeper, four-seamer and changeup to keep hitters off balance. He did that to near perfection against a suddenly struggling Yankees lineup in this one, generating an eye-popping 17 swinging strikes and allowing just four batted balls with exit velocities over 95 mph. His lone mistake was a sinker that he left over the plate that Ben Rice took the opposite way for a three-run shot in the third inning. He’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in six consecutive outings since June 8. He’ll get the ball for Sunday’s first-half finale against the Mariners. Needless to say, Seymour should be rostered in all fantasy formats until further notice.

The 27-year-old southpaw racked up eight strikeouts on the night while allowing one base on balls. The lone tally against him came on a leadoff home run off the bat of Carter Jensen. After that, Seymour locked in and completely dominated. He got 15 swings and misses on 83 pitches in the ballgame — seven on his sweeper — while registering a strong CSW of 34 percent. Now 5-1 on the season, he’ll bring a 4.02 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 60/21 K/BB ratio (56 innings) into Tuesday’s matchup against the Yankees.

Seymour will work without an opener when he faces Kansas City for the second consecutive outing in another favorable road matchup. He tossed 6 2/3 hitless innings in a bulk relief outing against the Royals last week. The 27-year-old lefty has been magnificent recently, posting a pristine 3.86 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 20/8 K/BB ratio across 21 innings over five outings since the start of June. He’s an extremely attractive streaming option for fantasy managers, even in shallow mixed leagues.

Casey Legumina retired all four batters he faced before Seymour entered, so this remained a no-hitter until the ninth, when Craig Kimbrel gave up a two-run homer to Carter Jensen. Seymour struck out seven and walked only one. Just two of the balls in play against him were hit hard. The win is his first in four outings since the Rays transitioned him into a starter/bulk guy, but he’s pitched pretty well in amassing a 2.84 ERA and a 19/5 K/BB in 19 innings. His ERA still stands at 4.32 overall, but he’s an option in deeper leagues as long as the Rays keep using him in this fashion. He’ll face the Royals again next week.

Seymour tossed a clean first inning, then gave up a solo homer to CJ Abrams to lead off the second. The Nats brought a second run in on two more hits in the inning. Two hits and a groundout scored a third run in the fifth before Seymour was replaced to start the sixth at 81 pitches. He struck out four. The 27-year-old left-hander will take a 4.98 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and a 45/19 K/BB ratio across 43 1/3 innings into a start against the Royals in Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Casey Legumina allowed one run in 1 2/3 innings an opener today. Seymour then entered and got through the fourth scoreless before giving up two runs in the fifth. Donovan Walton homered to start the scoring, and Seymour went on to walk two batters before allowing an RBI single with two outs. Seymour has a 4.93 ERA and a 41/19 K/BB in 38 1/3 innings this season. He’s in line to start or again pitch in a bulk role against the Nationals on Saturday, but it’s possible the Rays could try something different.

Ian Seymour also figures to play a significant role after throwing four scoreless innings in his start Monday against the Red Sox, but that’s not something the Rays are currently willing to confirm. Assuming Seymour has the bulk role, he’ll be a better bet for a win than a bunch of starters in action on Sunday.