Hello, Chris Archer.
Well, hello “again” is probably the most accurate response, as Archer threw his 2nd shutout in 3 starts by blanking the famed New York Yankees by a 1-0 margin on Saturday night. Archer needed only 97 pitches to dispatch of the New York lineup in 2-hit fashion, and he even added 6 strikeouts for good measure.
The 24-year-old Archer arrived on the scene as a result of various rotation injury for the Rays, but if the last couple of weeks are any indication, he is here to stay. With the performance from Saturday, the right-hander lowered his ERA to a dominant 2.39 for the year, and despite some questionable peripherals (4.45 xFIP), he is doing big-time work.
Unfortunately for the Yankees, their own reclamation project, Ivan Nova, pitched phenomenally, but took the loss. Nova struck out 8 over 7 innings and allowed only 1 run, but that was plenty for Archer.
Chris Archer is probably not “this” good, but he has been a huge blessing for the semi-struggling Tampa Bay rotation, and with a record of 62-42, the Rays are scorching hot as a result. He will likely crash back to Earth, but that fan base will be praying that Cinderella doesn’t return from the ball before the calendar turns to October.