TAMPA -- After pitching six innings last Saturday for the first time in more than two years, starter Drew Rasmussen said the Rays were giving him “a little bit more leash but not necessarily, maybe, 100% freedom.”
Whatever percentage it is, Rasmussen is making the most of it.
Looking out for his health after his third major elbow surgery, the Rays were conservative with the right-hander’s workload over the first six weeks of the season, only letting him work into the sixth inning once. But they began to loosen the reins last Saturday in Miami, and Rasmussen delivered his best start of the season.
Then he matched that performance in the Rays’ 3-1 win over the Blue Jays, breezing through six scoreless innings on 76 pitches Friday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
“I think that's kind of what the key is going to be, right? When we're talking about going deeper into ballgames, it'll be efficiency-driven,” Rasmussen said. “Helping [the bullpen] out and being efficient, it’s been pretty nice these last couple outings.”
Manager Kevin Cash said the Rays would evaluate Rasmussen on a “case by case, outing by outing” basis, giving him the opportunity to pitch deeper into games when it makes sense.
It made sense for a few reasons on Friday. First and foremost, he was pitching on five days’ rest. And he was remarkably efficient, averaging fewer than 13 pitches per inning.
“I hope he continues to challenge our decision-making with being so efficient,” Cash said Friday afternoon, “because that generally means that he’s not giving up hits, runs, anything, getting through innings pretty clean.”
That was the case in the Rays’ third straight victory at Steinbrenner Field, their longest winning streak since a five-gamer from April 23-27 and tied for their longest winning streak at home all season. Rasmussen held the Jays to four hits and two walks while striking out three.
“When he was in the zone and controlling the count, it was kind of what we've seen over the last couple of starts, certainly his last one in Miami,” Cash said. “Really good stuff.”
Rasmussen retired the first seven batters he faced, and Tampa Bay’s defense helped him escape the few jams he found himself in. No play was bigger or more impressive than the inning-ending double play third baseman Junior Caminero started on Bo Bichette’s 110.1 mph grounder in the fifth.
“You can't teach what happened there. That's just instinct and being able to play third base,” said second baseman Brandon Lowe, who was in the middle of the double play. “It's a really impressive play by him. It's fun. It feels like every time we get the opportunity to turn it, we've been able to do it. We've been very good at that.”
It was hardly the only defensive highlight of the night. Lowe handled a 113.2 mph grounder from Addison Barger in the second. Christopher Morel, Danny Jansen and Lowe cut down Nathan Lukes when he tried to stretch a single into a double in the third. And José Caballero made a tough play at shortstop to get Rasmussen’s final out in the sixth.
“Great defense,” Rasmussen said. “Fortunately, we got strikeouts when we needed them. It was a solid defensive effort tonight, and that really went to benefit me.”
With their pitching and defense on point, the Rays got all the offense they needed against Jays lefty Eric Lauer on two big swings.
Lowe launched a two-run shot to right-center in the third, his team-leading ninth home run of the season, and Curtis Mead smashed a solo shot to left in the fourth. Lowe homered in back-to-back games for the first time this season, and Mead did so for the first time in his career after only hitting two homers in his first 90 big league games.
Then Tampa Bay’s defense came through in another big spot behind Manuel Rodríguez in the seventh. After lefty Mason Montgomery walked the bases loaded with nobody out -- accounting for three of the Rays’ season-high eight walks on the night -- Rodríguez got Jonatan Clase to hit into a 4-6-3 double play before retiring Lukes to limit the damage to just one run.
Rodríguez, who’s put together a 2.31 ERA as one of the Rays’ top high-leverage relievers this season, said through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez that he got out of the situation by “trusting myself first and then trusting that my guys were going to make the double play.”
“We won the game because of his efforts,” Cash said. “Manny took a deep breath when he came in there and just made pitches. Really appreciative of his work.”