Drew Rasmussen to start Game 1 of ALCS for Rays

Rasmussen received an early two-run cushion and carried a shutout into the sixth inning before Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter connected for a solo homer. He was pulled after surrendering a game-tying blast to light-hitting backstop Patrick Bailey on his 91st and final pitch of the contest to lead off the seventh. Rasmussen finished with seven strikeouts and didn’t issue a walk. He’s in line to take the ball again for a potential Game 5 of the best-of-seven series. This felt like a missed opportunity for the Rays, who carried a lead into the late innings with their ace on the mound and a fully-rested bullpen before watching things unravel.

Rasmussen authored one of the most dominant starts in Tampa Bay history, carrying a no-hit bid into the eighth inning before Austin Wells doubled to right field with two outs on his 101st pitch of the contest. The 31-year-old ace cruised through the early innings, retiring 15 consecutive batters after issuing a two-out walk to Ben Rice in the third. He generated an astronomical 23 swinging strikes, including 10 on his changeup alone, while allowing just seven batted balls with exit velocities over 95 mph. It’s not hyperbolic to suggest that Rasmussen, who remains relatively unknown to casual baseball fans, is the most underrated starter in baseball. He finished the regular season with a pristine 2.67 ERA across a career-high 172 innings over 30 starts and looked nearly unhittable in his first postseason outing since appearing in relief against the Guardians in 2022. He’s in line to take the ball for Game 4 of the best-of-five series, if necessary, at Yankee Stadium on Thursday.

Rasmussen struck out 11, which is the second highest total of his career. He had 13 against Boston earlier this year. Unless the Rays decide to have him make a cameo on Sunday, Rasmussen will end the regular season 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA and a 174/32 K/BB in 172 innings. He’s probably looking at finishing third or fourth in the AL Cy Young balloting.

Rasmussen needed only 76 pitches to secure his 15th win. He joins Nick Martinez there as the 11th and 12th 15-game winners in Rays history. Rasmussen is due to finish the regular season with a start against the Yankees next week. He could then face them again a week later, as everything is setting up for the Yankees and Red Sox to face off in a Wild Card series for the right to face the Rays.

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 gave up three hits, walked none and struck out five. He improved to 14-5 with the win. Rasmussen’s only run allowed came in the fourth inning when two hits and a sacrifice fly led to the Tigers’ only run of the game. He bounced back nicely after allowing five runs against the Blue Jays in his last start. Rasmussen has a 2.95 ERA. He’s lined up to face the Mets at home next week.

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.