Drew Rasmussen strikes out five in win vs. Tigers

Rasmussen pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings to start Friday’s game, but allowed back-to-back hits in the fourth inning, which led to Isaac Paredes coming around to score on a fielder’s choice to put the Astros up 1-0. Rasmussen wouldn’t allow another run the rest of the night, thanks in part to him escaping the fifth inning after he struck out Jeremy Peña to end the frame with runners on second and third. Rasmussen has been dominant as of late, allowing just four earned runs over his last 20 innings of work while striking out 22 batters. He gets a plus matchup in his next start when he takes the mound on Thursday at home against the Athletics.

Rasmussen was outstanding on Saturday, limiting the Rangers to just one run over seven frames. The one run came on a solo homer by Joc Pederson in the sixth inning. He gave up just two other hits and did not walk a batter while striking out seven. The bullpen would cost him the win in the eighth inning. The 31-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 2.88 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and a 156/27 K/BB ratio across 153 1/3 innings. Rasmussen will take on the Astros in Tampa Bay on Friday.

Rasmussen struck out six and walked two as the Rays went on to win 5-4 in 11 innings. The 31-year-old is up to 146 1/3 innings this season, putting him on track to blow past last year’s career high of 150. Tampa Bay will also play in the postseason, which could extend his total depending on how far they advance. Rasmussen’s 2.95 ERA in 2026 is right in line with his career 2.91 mark entering Sunday. He’ll draw a road matchup against the Rangers next time out.

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.

It’s certainly not one of Rasmussen’s better lines this year, but he did what he needed to do after getting handed a nice lead in a really tough ballpark for pitchers in Sacramento. Rasmussen’s velocity was down about one mph on all of his pitches today, which probably played a role in him finishing with just three strikeouts. He should get an extra day of rest next time out before taking on the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

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.