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Fennelly: This season's Chris Archer is a pleasure to watch

 
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Chris Archer (22) throwing in the first inning of the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Sunday, May 21, 2017.
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Chris Archer (22) throwing in the first inning of the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Sunday, May 21, 2017.
Published May 23, 2017

ST. PETERSBURG

At this time last season, through 10 starts, Rays pitcher Chris Archer was 3-5 on his way to 9-19.

At this time this season, after his 10th start, Archer is 3-3 with a 3.76 ERA.

This feels different. It feels encouraging.

So far, pretty good.

At least that's how Sunday looked at Tropicana Field, despite Archer being on the hook for a second straight loss, this one 3-2 to the Yankees.

Me? I saw a season-high 12 strikeouts for Archer. I saw the fastball command that, when it's there, separates Archer from the pack. Yes, he made a couple of mistakes early. One misguided breaking ball was hit for a two-run home run, and that was the game, it turned out, because of CC Sabathia, the Yankees bullpen and the Amazing Colossal Man, Aaron Judge.

But I also saw Archer escape second and third and no outs in the first with three strikeouts. I saw him battle into the seventh inning. I saw him bounce back after he was pounded in the first inning at Cleveland and ended up giving up six earned runs and six walks.

"It's easy to talk about what took place in Cleveland," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "I believed him when he said he looked past the first inning, it's over with, done. He kind of proved it."

I'll take Sunday's Chris Archer every start this season. It won't add up to 19 losses. Not even close.

"I focus on the process, and the process was pretty good tonight," Archer said after Sunday's game. "Like you said, I'll take the process a hundred out of a hundred times."

Just two starts ago, Archer dominated the Royals: eight shutout innings, 11 strikeouts and zero walks. Overall, Archer has been better this season. He has been good and sometimes great.

You just have to strain out all the hype, the expectations — the talk.

The willingness to accept that, to not so much lower expectations but to realize this is a guy with a losing career record, makes it easier to enjoy Archer on a nightly basis. Forget the word "ace" and you're home free.

There was too much of that kind of outside noise last season, too much he's this or that, and Archer couldn't drown that out. He embraced it, in fact. He loved the entire idea of Chris Archer.

I don't know if "humbled" is the right word, but the 2017 Archer appears, at the moment, to be a man who knows he doesn't want to lose like he did last season and is trying to do something about it. Bouncing back after Cleveland said as much.

Now it's just a matter of staying consistent. The Rays need that from Archer if they are going to amount to anything.

It's time to respect Archer's process and not get too far ahead of things, so long as he does the same. Because the guy has a lot of great qualities.

He's durable. He leads the majors with 132 starts since June 1, 2013. And Archer has thrown more than 100 pitches over each of his past 19 starts. And Archer is second in the majors with 77 strikeouts.

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And it all begins with that fastball command.

"When he's in the strike zone, just like he was (Sunday), my God," pitching coach Jim Hickey said. "I know it wasn't all him, but I look at the middle of that (Yankees) lineup and they were (1-for-16) with (11) strikeouts. It wasn't just all sliders that they swung and missed at."

"All of my stuff works underneath my fastball," Archer said. "I fill up the strike zone with my fastball and my slider and changeup can work right underneath that."

I like watching this season's Chris Archer.

Now it's just a question of whether he sticks around.

On with the process.