Drew Rasmussen didn’t waste any time settling in Sunday at Tropicana Field.
After Steven Kwan opened the game with a double, Rasmussen shut the door on Cleveland and never really let it back open. The right-hander carved through the Guardians for seven scoreless innings on just 87 pitches, striking out nine and finishing by retiring the last 12 hitters he faced in Tampa Bay’s 1-0 win.
That was enough to finish off a three-game sweep and keep the Rays moving in the right direction. Tampa Bay improved to 62-43, moved 2 games ahead of the Yankees in the AL East standings before their Sunday night matchup against the Phillies, and stayed MLB-best at home at 38-15.
Rasmussen’s line was as clean as it gets after the first inning. Following Kwan’s leadoff double, he didn’t allow another hit, and the only other traffic came via a walk and a hit-by-pitch. For a lineup that never found a rhythm, Cleveland spent most of the afternoon watching Rasmussen dictate everything.
The Rays didn’t need much offense, and they got exactly one run in the fifth. Chandler Simpson started it with a single to left that slipped past a drawn-in José Ramírez at third base.
Simpson then advanced 180 feet on a wild pitch and a groundout, setting up Cedric Mullins’ bunt attempt. Mullins popped it up about 30 feet in front of home plate on the first-base side, and once it bounced in front of Kyle Manzardo, there was no play at the plate.
Simpson slid home safely head-first, and that was the difference.
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Rays Suddenly Linked To The Kind Of Deadline Move Fans Crave
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One name has surfaced in that chatter because of both his talent and his recent form, and he has already shown he can look like a frontline starter again after an elbow procedure. Tampa Bay has never been shy about pursuing bold moves when it sees a chance to change its outlook, so the question now is less about whether the Rays would consider something ambitious and more about whether the opportunity to pull it off ever materializes. [Read more 🡒]