Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen is enjoying arguably the roll of his career, even if his last trip to the mound resulted in a hard-luck loss.
Looking to get back in the win column, Rasmussen will return to the mound tonight when the Rays open a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Rasmussen (6-3, 2.59 ERA) sports a 2-1 record with a miniscule 0.43 ERA in his last three starts.
During that stretch of 21 innings, he has struck out 29 batters, walked one and surrendered just one run. That one run, however, was a solo homer by Shohei Ohtani in the sixth inning that accounted for all of the damage in the Rays’ 1-0 setback last Tuesday to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Despite the loss, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash was quick to credit Rasmussen for his dominating stretch.
“He’s been on a really good run,” Cash said. “The ball is coming out of his hand, he’s feeling confident, and he should be because he’s got really good stuff.”
Said fellow Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan: “I think it’s probably the best I’ve ever seen him pitch, and it’s fun to watch, man. He deserves this. We’re all in awe of what he’s doing every day.”
Rasmussen, 30, is 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA in six career appearances (four starts) versus the Royals.
Tampa Bay continued its torrid play at Tropicana Field on Sunday, capturing its eighth win its last nine home series with a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals.
Jonny DeLuca ripped a double and belted a two-run homer on Sunday, two days removed from returning from a right hamstring strain.
“Just having gratitude that I’m just here, healthy, ready to go. That probably helped fuel the last two ABs,” DeLuca said. “Just very grateful to be back and helping this team win, because we have a special group.”
While that group has enjoyed success at home (26-10), Kansas City has encountered all sorts of trouble on the road this season (13-24).
Keeping the Rays in check will be responsibility of Royals right-hander Michael Wacha (4-5, 3.64), who will look to snap a seven-game winless skid when he takes the mound tonight.
Wacha, who is 0-3 in that stretch, received a no-decision last Tuesday against the Nationals after permitting three runs on seven hits in six innings.
Wacha, 34, is 3-5 with a 4.93 ERA in nine career appearances (all starts) against the Rays.
Jac Caglianone went deep for the fourth time in three games by belting a pair in Sunday’s 12-10 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. He is 5-for-12 with seven RBI and six runs during that stretch.
Caglianone has a team-best 12 homers this season, two more than two-time All- Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
Witt missed his first two games of the season this weekend due to a Grade 1 MCL sprain in his right knee.
“He feels better walking around. Trying to get swelling out,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We’re going to re-evaluate as the day goes on, get him a bunch of treatments and see how he’s feeling before we take off.”
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