The Rays have put the Yankees in a tight spot, and they’ve done it while keeping their bullpen in remarkable shape.
Tampa Bay is up 2-0 in the best-of-five ALDS, and Kevin Cash still has several of the relief arms he expected to lean on sitting unused. That gives the Rays a major edge heading into Game 3, where they have a chance to close out the series.
Game 1 barely asked anything of the bullpen because Drew Rasmussen handled most of the work himself. He worked eight innings, allowed just one hit and struck out 10, then turned the ninth over to Bryan Baker.
Game 2 was a little more demanding, but not by much. Freddy Peralta lasted 4.2 innings, Cam Booser finished the fifth, and then Ian Seymour took over.
Seymour covered three innings, giving up only Ben Rice’s solo home run while striking out four. Baker then needed just eight pitches to finish off the 5-2 win.
The bigger story is who Tampa Bay has not had to use. Tyler Wells, Garrett Cleavinger and Kevin Kelly have yet to pitch in the series, even though all three were expected to have meaningful bullpen roles.
Seymour has helped make that possible. Late in the regular season, there was plenty of talk about how the Rays would deploy him in October, and the first two games of this series have started to answer that question. He can come in behind a starter and eat multiple innings, and he also gives Tampa Bay another left-handed option against a Yankees lineup that includes plenty of left-handed bats.
That could matter even more Wednesday. Nick Martinez will start Game 3 with a chance to send the Rays to the ALCS. If he can’t finish the job, Griffin Jax could be in line for multiple innings, with Wells, Cleavinger, Kelly, Booser and Baker all available for Cash after that.
The only pitcher who probably won’t be fully fresh is Seymour, after his three-inning outing Monday. But that’s a pretty good problem to have.
The Rays are one win from eliminating the Yankees.
In Other News...
Aaron Judge Turns Rays Sweep Into Yankees Front Office Pressure
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Judge also took a moment to acknowledge how hard the elimination hit, while noting that his own rehab remains ongoing as he works his way back. For the Rays, the sweep was a statement series and another reminder of how quickly the balance can shift in the division. For the Yankees, it became something bigger than a loss - it turned into an uncomfortable prompt about urgency, expectations and what kind of push the organization is willing to make next. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Fans Had Every Reason To Hate This ALDS Replay Call
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For Rays fans, it was the kind of ruling that can linger long after the inning ends. The Yankees still got a run-scoring double out of it, but Tampa Bay kept its edge in the series, even as the replay decision left plenty of frustration behind and added another layer of tension to a postseason game already being dissected pitch by pitch. [Read more 🡒]
Jazz Chisholm Just Put His Yankees Future In Focus
The Yankees season ended at the hands of the Rays in an ALDS sweep, and the focus in New York is already drifting toward what comes next. Among the players caught in that uncertainty is Jazz Chisholm Jr., whose status is part of a larger offseason picture for a club with several unresolved roster decisions.
Chisholm is a free agent after a down year, which could make him expendable as the Yankees sort through their infield plans. Still, he made clear he wants another shot in New York, saying he hopes to return for the 2027 season, a sentiment that only adds another layer to a winter in which the Yankees will have to decide which pieces still fit their future. [Read more 🡒]