Drew Rasmussen outduels Parker Messick in victory

Since giving up 13 earned runs over 12 1/3 innings in his first three starts of July, Rasmussen has rebounded in a big way, throwing 13 scoreless innings with 19 strikeouts in his last two starts. Both of those turned into 1-0 wins for the Rays. This makes him 10-5 with a 2.91 ERA through 21 starts. He’ll need Cam Schlittler and Dylan Cease to falter some, but he’s still very much in the AL Cy Young mix at this point. A date with the Mariners in Seattle is in store next.

Rasmussen wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and was able to cruise into the middle innings as Tampa Bay’s offense staked him to an eight-run advantage. He carried a shutout into the sixth before finally running into some trouble, which led to his removal following three consecutive hits to open the frame. He finished with five strikeouts and only handed out one free pass. It was a much-needed rebound performance after giving up 11 runs over 7 1/3 innings over his previous two starts earlier this month. He’ll wrap up a two-start week with a favorable home matchup against Cleveland’s low-scoring lineup on Sunday.

Rasmussen only allowed five hard-hit balls, but one of them scraped just over the fence off the bat of Ben Rice. Nothing under the hood looked especially troubling today, but Rasmussen allowed seven of eight Yankees to reach base to start off the third inning, and the Yankees also stole a pair of bases in the frame. Reliever Cam Booser allowed an inherited run to score. Rasmussen’s ERA is up to 3.26, but we’re not especially down on him based on this start as we enter the All-Star break.

Rasmussen gave up a two-run homer to Yordan Alvarez in the first inning. After two scoreless frames, Yainer Díaz got to Rasmussen for another two-run blast in the fourth. A walk, a double, and a base hit scored a fifth run, ending Rasmussen’s day after five innings with two strikeouts. The five runs tie a season-high for the 30-year-old right-hander. He’ll take a 2.78 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and a 96/17 K/BB ratio across 97 innings into a start against the Yankees in Tampa Bay on Thursday.

Rasmussen was lights out on Sunday, cruising through six scoreless frames against the D-backs. He scattered three hits and one walk, tossing 65 of 99 pitches for strikes to collect five strikeouts. The 30-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 2.45 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and a 94/16 K/BB ratio across 92 innings. He’ll look to keep it going against the Astros in Houston on Saturday.

Rasmussen limited Kansas City’s offense to just four hits, but run-scoring knocks by Lane Thomas and Carter Jensen were enough to saddle him with a tough-luck loss. He tallied five strikeouts and issued a pair of walks. The 30-year-old emerging fantasy ace has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 13 of 15 starts this season, including four straight outings since the start of June. He’ll close out a two-start week with a home outing against the Diamondbacks on Saturday at Tropicana Field.

Rasmussen was excellent despite falling in line for the loss on Tuesday with no run support. He held the Dodgers to just one run in Los Angeles, scattering six hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. The one run came on a solo homer by Shohei Ohtani in the sixth inning. The 30-year-old right-hander will take a 2.59 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and an 84/13 K/BB ratio across 80 innings into a start against the Royals in Tampa Bay on Monday.

Rasmussen had just one previous 10-strikeout game, finishing with exactly 10 against the Yankees on Sept. 9, 2022. He got 20 missed swings and allowed just two hits and two hard-hit balls today. The Red Sox swung at 15 of the 23 four-seamers he threw and racked up eight whiffs without ever putting any of them in play. Rasmussen has pitched seven scoreless innings in three of his last four starts and is 6-2 with a 2.71 ERA on the season. He’ll face the Dodgers next week.

It was a much-needed strong outing for Rasmussen, who was lit up for five earned runs in his last outing. Rasmussen responded with arguably his best outing of the season, allowing just one hit on the night while striking out a season-high nine batters and not giving up a walk. The Rays ace remains one of the more reliable starters and is pitching behind a lineup that ranks in the top half of the league in runs scored. He’ll be in position for another strong outing in his next start, which is scheduled for Wednesday at home against the Red Sox.

This one got away from Rasmussen early. After striking out the first batter of the game, he gave up a hit and two walks to load the bases. Wade Meckler followed with a grand slam. Rasmussen tossed two scoreless frames, then gave up one more run on two hits in the fourth. His day would be done after four innings at 71 pitches. He struck out four. The 30-year-old right-hander will take a 3.36 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a 55/12 K/BB ratio across 59 innings into a start against the Marlins in Miami on Friday.