Drew Rasmussen threw five solid frames, while Ji-Man Choi and Brandon Lowe provided the thunder, as the Tampa Bay Rays shut out the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, 2-0.
Tampa Bay ended the night as the first team in the American League to reach 90 wins (90-55), and are 35-games over .500 with 17 games left to play. They also have a magic number of eight to earn their third consecutive postseason berth.
Drew Rasmussen got the start Tuesday and pitched five scoreless frames against Toronto. The right-hander surrendered two hits and one walk while striking out three. Rasmussen was able to limit the damage to just three baserunners, none of which got past second base.
He only threw 52 pitches (35 strikes, 67% strike rate) in the contest as the team continues to limit his innings likely due to the fact that he leans heavily on a two-pitch mix. Even so, Rasmussen attacked the strike zone, and challenged hitters with high-octane fastballs, giving the Rays a chance to win. Since the All-Star Break, Rasmussen has posted a 2.04 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and a 3.5 K/BB.
Meanwhile, the Rays took the lead they’d never relinquish in the second inning when Ji-Man Choi lined a 93 mph fastball into the second deck of the right-field stands for a 1-0 lead.
While Tampa Bay had chances to add to their lead in the second and the fourth innings, they stranded runners in scoring position in each frame. Choi’s solo shot would be the only run José Berríos would relinquish in seven innings of work.
In the eighth inning, Charlie Montoyo turned to left-hander Tim Mayza, and after Mike Zunino lined out to second, Brandon Lowe doubled the Rays’ lead on a solo homer to right.
Pete Fairbanks followed Rasmussen and worked around a leadoff single, but allowed nothing more, on nine pitches (all strikes).
J.T. Chargois was next, tossing a perfect seventh on 14 pitches (10 strikes, 71% strike rate) thanks in part to a sliding catch by Randy Arozarena. He also struck out a batter.
Finally, David Robertson collected a pair of punchouts in a 1-2-3 eighth, while Andrew Kittredge put down the top three batters in Toronto’s batting order in the ninth for his seventh save of the season.
THE NEW WHAT NEXT
Michael Wacha (3-4, 5.37 ERA) will get the start in the series finale Wednesday afternoon, pitching opposite of Robbie Ray (11-5, 2.69 ERA).
Michael Wacha got the start Friday and allowed a run on three hits (including a solo homer) across five strong innings. The right-hander struck out six on 68 pitches (47 strikes, 69% strike rate, 10 swings and misses, 15% SwStr%).
Wacha leaned heavily on his four-seam fastball, changeup, and curveball combination once again, while he has thrown just three total cutters in his last three combined starts. The right-hander reduced his ERA and FIP to 5.37 and 4.72 (respectively) and maintains a 1.39 WHIP and a 4.00 K/BB across 105.2 innings on the season. The right-hander threw two scoreless innings against the Blue Jays earlier this season.
Robbie Ray allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks over 4.1 innings against Baltimore on Friday. He struck out eight.
Ray became increasingly upset throughout the contest because the Orioles spat on his slider during his outing, swinging at the pitch just 35% of the time as compared to his season average of 55%. If the Rays can take a disciplined approach with Ray on the bump — which won’t be easy considering the absence of Wander Franco — they too could end his day early. On the season, the left-hander maintains a 2.69 ERA and a 3.45 FIP, with a 1.03 WHIP and 5.00 K/BB through 166 innings. Ray is 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA in four starts against Tampa Bay this season. Key Matchups: Nelson Cruz (2-6), Kevin Kiermaier (1-4), Austin Meadows (2-6, 2B, RBI)
You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup is below.
RAYS 9/15/21 STARTING LINEUP
- Arozarena LF
- Margot RF
- Cruz DH
- Díaz 3B
- B. Lowe 2B
- Zunino C
- Luplow 1B
- Walls SS
- Phillips CF
- Wacha RHP