Drew Rasmussen goes five in victory over Athletics

Rasmussen also struck out five. He gave up a solo homer to Alejandro Kirk early on, the first long ball he’s allowed since the All-Star break. Things worsened in the fifth, and three of the four runs he surrendered in that inning came with two outs. Rasmussen is up to 134 1/3 innings in 2026, closing in on the career-best 150 he threw last season. He’ll look to rebound next time out against the Tigers.

What a fantastic pitcher. After an early July speed bump, Rasmussen has won five straight starts. The last four of those have all been scoreless, giving him a 27-inning shutout streak. Rasmussen is 12-5 with a 2.75 ERA that places him very much in the mix for AL Cy Young honors. He’s due to face the A’s next week.

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 allowed just one hit in the ballgame — a leadoff double to Steven Kwan to open the game — while allowing one free pass. Aside from that leadoff double, the Guardians never threatened against him. The 30-year-old righty got 18 whiffs on 87 pitches on the day, registering an elite CSW of 36 percent. Now 9-5 on the season, he’ll look to replicate this brilliant effort as he brings a 3.07 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and a 112/19 K/BB ratio (111 1/3 innings) into Saturday’s showdown against the White Sox.

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.