Odorizzi last worked on Wednesday when he allowed six earned runs in five and one third innings against Rochester – the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate. Overall, he is 4-0 with a 3.38 ERA in eight starts for the Bulls. He tossed the front seven innings of a combined no-hitter earlier this month. Working with four average – or on occasion better – offerings, he struck out more than a quarter of batters he faced in Durham. Not surprising for a flyball pitcher, he allowed a few balls to leave the yard.

The 23-year-old made two starts for the Royals last year. In seven and one-third combined innings, he previewed all of his pitches. His low-90s fastball took the lead position in front of a low-70s curveball, a mid-80s changeup, and a handful of sliders in the same range. At the high-end of the spectrum, he hit 93 mph. Covering the low-end, he bottomed out with a 69-mph breaking ball. That type of velocity separation between pitches is comparable to Doug Fister, Jeremy Hellickson, and Kyle Lohse. Despite his youth and inexperience, he showed confidence in his secondary stuff in counts where fastballs are primarily used. As a staff, the Rays rank in the top-five of first-pitch changeups and curveballs thrown so do not be surprised if he follows suit.

In terms of mechanics, the athletic Odorizzi receives high marks. The same can be said for his makeup, confidence, and composure on the mound. His delivery, which begins on the third base side of the rubber, is simple and free of quirks. He release point is tall with nice extension upon release. He also has what looks like acceptable, repeatable posture and landing point. The negatives to his game include fastball command and the lack of a true out-pitch.

The Jays have been a slightly below-average offense thus far. That said, they possess big bats in the middle of the order. They have been aggressive on changeups out of the zone, but take a measured approach versus curveballs. To work on any tendencies, however, Odorizzi must first command the fastball. Misplaced heaters will lessen the effectiveness – and usage – of his secondary pitches as well as land souvenirs in the stands. The Jays have hit 29 home runs against right-handed fastballs, the second highest mark in the American League.

With Price expected to miss a minimum of 2-3 starts, Odorizzi should not feel pressured to impress his first time out. Getting ahead in the count, and locating the fastball, seem like elementary concepts, but will be paramount to his success at the next level. If everything is working well, he may even conjure up memories of the man he was traded for.

Beliveau, originally drafted by the Cubs as an 18th-rounder out of Florida Atlantic University, will assume a spot on the Rays’ 40-man roster. Don’t let the minor-league numbers fool you: He doesn’t throw hard. Instead Beliveau sat in the upper-80s to low-90s during his 22-game stint last season with the Cubs. In addition to the fastball Beliveau throws a changeup and a breaking ball. His delivery features a closed landing, which creates a tough angle against left-handed hitters. Beliveau could fit in a bullpen as a second lefty.

Sure enough Beliveau should serve as the second lefty on Sunday, given Cesar Ramos’ lengthy Saturday outing. Afterward look for Beliveau to rejoin Durham and make room for Jake Odorizzi on the 25-man roster.

#Rays Maddon said Farnsworth’s velocity and break on slider has been good even tho results haven’t. Answer may be using him more.

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) May 18, 2013

Farnsworth’s velocity on all of his pitches is indeed down from 2012, which was also down from 2011. This is not not an unusual trend as older pitchers lose velocity in their later years.

More concerning than the decline in velocity is the decline in results as Farnsworth has struggled to miss bats and opposing hitters are striking the ball hard.

According to the data from ESPN Stats & Info, Farnsworth had a .187 well-hit average against from 2011 to 2012 and an overall batting average on balls in play of .258. This season, those numbers are .378 and .405 respectively. The most frequent culprit in the unfortunate batted ball outcomes is the fastball.

Farnsworth has thrown 60 fastballs in 2013, enticing 32 swings, only four of which have come up empty. 22 of those fastballs have been put into play, 11 of which have gone for hits. Opposing hitters are hitting .458 off his fastball with a 1.208 OPS which is a dramatic increase from the previous two seasons when hitters had a .248 average against his fastball with a .669 OPS.  The change in results may come from decreased velocity, but Farnsworth appears to have lost his ability to consistently locate his fastball.

Part of what made Farnsworth successful in 2011 and once he returned in 2012 was his ability to locate his pitches low in the zone so even when he failed to miss bats, he generated groundballs. (click images to enlarge)

This season, Farnsworth has had a tendency to elevate that fastball over the plate, which has led to an increase of well-struck baseballs by the opposition.

Maddon’s defense of the veteran reliever makes sense in that regular usage helps pitchers stay sharp with their craft. Farnsworth can survive with decreased stuff, but if he cannot locate his pitches, then his roster spot may not survive the month once Brandon Gomes is ready to come off the disabled list.

Too often Hellickson’s pitches caught the middle of the plate. Unsurprisingly, the Orioles hitters put 28 balls in play off Hellickson.

With recently spotty fastball command Hellickson’s secondary pitches take on more importance. On Friday night Hellickson’s curveball also faltered. Though an effective offering entering the contest, Hellickson allowed five hits, including a double, off his bender against the O’s.

Hellickson’s curveball troubles started early, when Manny Machado hit a first-inning double. Later that inning, Hellickson threw one to Matt Wieters who hit a two-out single through the right side to drive in Nate McLouth and Machado. The same scenario replayed itself in the eighth inning when Hellickson threw Wieters a first-pitch curveball and the catcher hit it back up the middle for a two-run single in another two-out situation.

The curveball has been a weapon for Hellickson in the past when he locates it either within or below the zone, as he tends to do so well:

Compare that frequency plot to where Hellickson located his curveball in Friday’s contest:

Joe Maddon said he still has confidence in Hellickson, and he should. Maddon also said Hellickson’s struggles were about location, and they were.

Pena played for the Rays, where manager Joe Maddon and another data-driven front office have been at the forefront of a baseball-wide move towards greater shifting on defense. But he said that the Astros shift far more — and more drastically than the Rays ever did. Pena believes the shifts are helping.

“We’re in better position, no question about it,” he said. “It’s unconventional, but when you see the percentages, it just makes sense. Bo Porter, Eddie Perez, these guys are not afraid.”

Yet, not everyone is on board with the moves the field staff is utilizing during games. At a Baseball Prospectus fan event this past weekend in Houston, General Manager Jeff Luhnow addressed the issue by pointing out a double standard that exists on the team.

Luhnow stated that while pitchers such as Lucas Harrell (he did not name names) were quick to point out when they felt they were being hurt by the shift, rarely did the pitchers note when the shifts were working and turning what would normally be hits into outs. As Manager Bo Porter was recently quoted as saying, ““You have to be able to take the good that comes with it. And you have to take sometimes the bad that comes with it.”

Joe Maddon recently made an appearance on the MLB Now show with Brian Kenny and Harold Reynolds. As much as the Rays have shifted in the Maddon era, not everyone has always been on board. Maddon mentioned that Troy Percival was never a fan of defensive shifting and that current reliever Kyle Farnsworth is another one of those pitchers who likes the defense aligned in a more traditional manner.  He had more to say on the topic:

“You meet in Spring Training and explain what you are doing and why….and then you show them the results on what can be benefited from these kinds of things. We always reserve the right for the pitcher to call it off but I want to hear about it BEFORE the play occurs, not after.  Don’t tell me after the ball rolls through the spot that you wanted the fielder over there. If so, turn around and move the guy before it happens…..We’re trying to play the percentages in advance of the moment and we’re pretty good at it. I’m a firm believer in it and those that mock it do not understand the entire concept but I still believe there are some residual psychological benefits coming back to us based on the hitter trying to do something different in a tight moment. Make sure your pitchers understand what you are doing in advance….at the end of the day, man, call me on it before it happens not after it happens.

To see Maddon’s interview on this as well as David Price’s situation, the types of hitting behaviors he likes, as well as where he started using advanced numbers, watch the video at mlb.com.

Williams is a reedy, long-legged right-hander from Missouri with a commitment to the University of Missouri. His mechanics have a lot of moving parts—including his torso, which leans back during the process—and he lands on a stiff front leg. Still, the ball comes out of Williams’ hand quick and easy. Combine the body with the arsenal and Williams seemingly has an outside shot at becoming an impact starter, with a reasonable chance of becoming a middle-of-the-rotation presence. That’s why he might not be on the board when the Rays pick.

Excerpts from the experts

Dan Evans (October): “[Showed] plus velocity (90-93) with an above average slider at 81-82 while working from the first-base tip of the rubber.”

Perfect Game (April, $) “The definition of projection with FB already reaching 95, slider improving, lots of comps to Mariners’ Taijuan Walker.”

Franchise history at the position

The Rays have selected two high-school pitchers in the first round during their existence: Jason Standridge and Taylor Guerrieri.

The Rays acquired Torres, a pint-sized southpaw, in the Scott Kazmir trade. Popular opinion within the industry viewed Torres as a superior prospect to Alex Cobb not too long ago because of his pitches’ movement. Location issues prevented the little lefty from establishing himself in the majors sooner, though he shined in a 2011 late-season appearance in relief of Jeff Niemann. Torres entered last season on the fringe but suffered through a terrible year. Late in the season the Rays exiled him to the Gulf Coast League where he worked with long-time associate and organizational pitching coach Marty DeMerritt to correct his mechanics, and the hard work has rekindled the Venezuelan native’s prospect flame.

At this point it’s unclear if Torres will receive the start on Monday. If not look for Jake Odorrizi, who pitched on Wednesday night, to get the call. We covered Odorizzi in color back when the Rays acquired him as part of the James Shields trade. He would be the first of the foursome to reach the majors with the Rays.

Anderson is a tremendous athlete, with audible raw tools. He’s got good speed and quick feet, and there’s reason to believe he can stick at the position long-term. At the plate his quick bat plays up thanks to a simplified swing. The drawbacks in selecting Anderson revolve almost entirely around his age and developmental path. He turns 20 shortly after the draft yet he’ll enter professional ball rougher around the edges than you’d like for a two-year collegiate player. There’s a lot of risk here, as Anderson could make quick gains within the right system, or he could fail to develop at a pace conductive to maximizing his physical gifts.

Excerpts from the experts

Nick Faleris (May, $): “He has limited exposure to advanced pitching, and there are legit questions as to how refined his game truly is, given the inconsistent nature of his competition at East Central Community College.”

Franchise history at the position

R.J. Harrison does not shy away from junior or community college players. The Rays drafted rising prospects Andrew Toles and Nick Sawyer in 2012, Jeff Ames in 2011, and Parker Markel in 2010 from the JuCo ranks. Of course Harrison’s most notable selection from the circuit is Desmond Jennings, a great athlete whom the Rays scooped out of a Mississippi community college in 2006.

Wednesday:David Price left Wednesday’s game with what the Rays are calling left triceps tightness. It is unknown how much time he will miss if any at all. If he is unable to make his next start Tampa Bay has options such as Alex Torres, Chris Archer, and Jake Odorizzi waiting in Durham. Odorizzi started on Wednesday which puts him on the same starting schedule as Price. Archer is slated to pitch tomorrow night.