Griffin Jax, Rays aim to subdue suddenly ascending Angels

Right-hander Griffin Jax will continue to make the transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation Saturday when the Tampa Bay Rays face the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif.

It will be the ninth consecutive start for the 31-year-old Jax, who began the season in the bullpen where he has garnered 15 saves in 294 career relief appearances. But Jax (1-4, 4.15 ERA), following in the footsteps of Drew Rasmussen, Jeffrey Springs and Zack Littell, became a starter at the end of April and has performed well.

Jax had a 1.93 ERA in five starts in May. He allowed three hits over five shutout innings in his last start on Sunday at Miami, the second time in five outings that he tossed five scoreless innings.

"He did a really nice job for us," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "That offense, we knew coming in was going to be challenging, but he got some quick outs which allowed him to get through five innings. Happy with his overall body of work."

Jax was acquired last season at the trade deadline from Minnesota for Taj Bradley and went 0-2 with seven holds and a 3.60 ERA in 23 appearances, including two starts. But the former starter at the Air Force Academy said he was open to a move to becoming a full-time starter this season.

"I felt like this was the right place to do this because of the success the team has had," Jax told the Rays Beat newsletter. "Kyle Snyder is the best pitching coach in the major leagues so, when the conversation got brought up, it was a pretty easy decision for me."

Jax has made eight appearances against the Angels, all in relief, and is 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA. He'll be asked to help stop a recent road slide that has seen Tampa Bay drop seven of its last eight away from home.

Right-hander Jose Soriano (7-4, 2.96), who is 1-2 with a 4.94 ERA in seven appearances (four starts) against the Rays, will start for Los Angeles.

The Angels recorded their third straight victory after holding on for a 4-3 victory on Friday in the opener of the three-game series.

Trey Mancini is back in the big leagues for the first time since 2023 after sitting out the 2024 season and playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks' Triple-A team in Reno in 2025. He hit a two-run triple to give the Angels a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

"I faced Shane a lot in my career back," the 34-year-old Mancini said. "Back in my days with Baltimore (2016-22) we faced Tampa a ton. He's such a great pitcher. He's going to attack you and come after you, and he's gotten me out a lot. So I wanted to go up there and be aggressive against him."

Mancini is batting .333 (4-for-12) with four RBIs since being called up from Triple-A Salt Lake on Monday.

"It's great," he said of the vibe in the Angels locker room. "When I was in spring training with this team, I felt like there was such an infectious energy, and I wanted to be a part of it. I'm so happy to be part of it now and to be here."

--Field Level Media