Robbie Ray pulled in fifth against Mariners

According to The Athletic’s Dennis Lin, the Giants are paying about half of the $9 milllion or so Ray is owed, including a portion of his $1 million trade bonus. Ray will join Michael King and Walker Buehler in a Padres rotation that could get Nick Pivetta and/or Joe Musgrove back at the end of the month. Another bat would be nice, but the chances of a late run are looking up. Ray, 34, had a 3.08 ERA in 122 2/3 innings for the Giants. He’s at 1.09 while focusing on his sinker in his last seven starts.

RHP Miguel Mendez and shortstop Joniel Hernandez make up the return for the Giants. Ray will join a Padres rotation that’s pretty much just Michael King and some swingmen at the moment. He has a 3.08 ERA this season as he closes out a five-year, $115 million deal he originally signed with the Mariners.

Ray’s likely final start for the Giants was a very good one, as he struck out six and walked one while allowing only three singles and a double. He’s now 6-0 with a 1.09 ERA in his last eight starts. His 41/21 K/BB in 49 1/3 innings during the stretch isn’t nearly as impressive, but with the way his groundball rate has ticked up, he should be pretty attractive to contenders.

Ray was brilliant against the Angels on Saturday, holding them scoreless over six innings on his way to a win. He scattered six hits and two walks, tossing 54 of 80 pitches for strikes to collect five strikeouts. It was an excellent showcase for the 34-year-old left-hander, who could find himself on the move by the August 3 trade deadline. He’ll take a 3.16 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and a 101/56 K/BB ratio across 116 2/3 innings into a start against the Padres in San Diego on Thursday.

Ray, who will be a free agent after the season, has a 3.38 ERA in 18 starts with the Giants this year, though he has walked 52 batters in 106 2/3 innings pitched. Rogers believes Ray is “the more important player” available between Ray and Luis Arraez, implying Ray would get the Giants a better return. It certainly would make little sense for the Giants to hold on to Ray barring an extension. The 34-year-old could be the best starter available at the deadline if the Tigers opt to keep Tarik Skubal.

Webb was a member of the NL All-Star team, but he did not pitch in the game on Tuesday. That will enable him to pitch over the weekend once regular-season games begin again. Tyler Mahle and Trevor McDonald will then follow on Monday and Tuesday against the Royals.

Ray owes Dylan Smith dinner after this one; he walked all three batters he faced to start the sixth inning, but Smith was able to strand the bases loaded and preserve the tie after taking over. Ray struck out four and walked six in all. Just 53 of his 100 pitches were strikes. It’s Ray’s sixth career start with six walks and second of this year. He’s now tied with Bubba Chandler for the most walks in the majors at 52. He topped the NL and finished fourth in the majors with 73 last year.

Ray served up a three-run homer to Cole Carrigg in the first inning. He then settled in nicely, tossing five more shutout frames to end his day with a quality start and in line for a win. He struck out four. The 34-year-old left-hander will take a 3.45 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and an 86/46 K/BB ratio across 101 2/3 innings into a start against the Rockies in San Francisco on Thursday.

14 hard-hit balls with just two strikeouts would typically make for a miserable day on the mound, but Robbie Ray channeled Kirk Reuter and made it work today. Most of the hardest contact against him came in the form of grounders, and he got a bunch of routine flies. He ended up allowing just four hits: three singles and a double. This makes four really strong outings in the six starts since Ray started turning to a sinker. He threw it a season-high 38 percent of the time today, and while he gave up all four hits on the pitch, it’s helping him turn in some of the longest outings of his career of late. He’ll probably go to it even more in Coors Field next weekend.

Ray held the A’s off the board through two innings, then gave up an unearned run on a base hit following an error in the third. He settled in nicely, shutting down the A’s over five more scoreless frames. He scattered only two hits and walked four while striking out six. The 34-year-old left-hander will take a 3.70 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and an 80/42 K/BB ratio across 87 2/3 innings into a start against the Braves in San Francisco on Sunday.