Archer fans 11, delivers quality start in victory

DENVER — Coming into Wednesday’s start, Rays right-hander Chris Archer aimed to throw 70 percent strikes, a mark he has yet to eclipse this season. Although he fell just short of his goal, he put together his first quality start in over a month in a 11-3 win over the Rockies.

Archer tossed six brilliant innings, limiting the Rockies to two runs on four hits with two walks and 11 strikeouts. He struck out his last five batters and eight of his last 11.

This was a marked improvement compared to recent starts, in which he had given up at least four runs in four of his last five starts. His last quality start came on June 17.

“We get to see Arch quite a bit, and the stuff looked the same,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “You see him in the zone, and he’s a really special pitcher.”

Archer threw 63.8 percent of his pitches for strikes (67 of 105), but he was still happy with his results.

“You set your standard really high,” Archer said. “You shoot for …

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