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The Tampa Bay Rays have gone through their fair share of struggles over the last few weeks.
Offense has been inconsistent. The team has gone 5-10 over the last 15 games. The New York Yankees have regained control of the American League East race. It's not what you expected from a team that was so hot heading into May to do in June.
But through it all, one constant remains.
Drew Rasmussen continues to pitch like one of the best starters in Major League Baseball. And despite the Rays getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers this week, the Rays pitcher is making a name for himself.
The Rays right-hander delivered another dominant performance Tuesday night against the Dodgers, allowing just one run over seven innings while striking out seven batters and not issuing a single walk. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, that lone run came on a Shohei Ohtani solo home run, resulting in a tough 1-0 loss.
Despite the loss, Rasmussen, who has often done his part on the mound to put the Rays in a position to win, continues to impress lately again and again. Over his last three starts, he has allowed only one run across 21 innings. During that stretch, he has struck out 29 batters, walked just one batter, and surrendered only nine hits.
His season numbers are just as impressive.
Through 14 starts, Rasmussen owns a 2.59 ERA and has 84 strikeouts to only 13 walks across 80 innings pitched on the year.
Since the beginning of the 2021 season, only Shohei Ohtani has posted a lower ERA among pitchers with at least 500 innings pitched. Rasmussen's 2.76 ERA during that span ranks ahead of stars such as Tarik Skubal, who will be the biggest piece on the trade block this summer.
Unfortunately, this goes back to the same song the team has played on repeat all summer thus far. The Rays need more players to step up if they are going to make a serious postseason push. It can't just be Rasmussen if the run support isn't going to back him during elite starts.
He is pitching like a legitimate All-Star and a pitcher who deserves to be mentioned in the American League Cy Young conversation.
Continue reading...
Offense has been inconsistent. The team has gone 5-10 over the last 15 games. The New York Yankees have regained control of the American League East race. It's not what you expected from a team that was so hot heading into May to do in June.
But through it all, one constant remains.
Drew Rasmussen continues to pitch like one of the best starters in Major League Baseball. And despite the Rays getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers this week, the Rays pitcher is making a name for himself.
The Rays right-hander delivered another dominant performance Tuesday night against the Dodgers, allowing just one run over seven innings while striking out seven batters and not issuing a single walk. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, that lone run came on a Shohei Ohtani solo home run, resulting in a tough 1-0 loss.
Despite the loss, Rasmussen, who has often done his part on the mound to put the Rays in a position to win, continues to impress lately again and again. Over his last three starts, he has allowed only one run across 21 innings. During that stretch, he has struck out 29 batters, walked just one batter, and surrendered only nine hits.
His season numbers are just as impressive.
Through 14 starts, Rasmussen owns a 2.59 ERA and has 84 strikeouts to only 13 walks across 80 innings pitched on the year.
Since the beginning of the 2021 season, only Shohei Ohtani has posted a lower ERA among pitchers with at least 500 innings pitched. Rasmussen's 2.76 ERA during that span ranks ahead of stars such as Tarik Skubal, who will be the biggest piece on the trade block this summer.
Unfortunately, this goes back to the same song the team has played on repeat all summer thus far. The Rays need more players to step up if they are going to make a serious postseason push. It can't just be Rasmussen if the run support isn't going to back him during elite starts.
He is pitching like a legitimate All-Star and a pitcher who deserves to be mentioned in the American League Cy Young conversation.
Continue reading...
