Not even a rain delay can stop Drew Rasmussen and his ‘incredible run’

TAMPA — Drew Rasmussen is meticulous in his preparation and planning, accounting for just about every contingency.

But this one was out of his control.

He already had put three zeroes on the scoreboard when Tuesday’s game was delayed by rain with the Rays batting in the bottom of the third inning.

Since recovering from his third major elbow surgery (the result of a May 2023 injury), returning to the team in August as a reliever then rejoining the rotation this season, Rasmussen has received special handling, whether he wanted it or not.

So, as he huddled in the Steinbrenner Field weight room with team staff as the rain fell, he knew there would be a limit to how long he’d be allowed to sit out before being taken out.

“We were talking it through, we had kind of a drop-dead time where, if we got there with the delay my night was going to be over,” Rasmussen relayed.

The window was 40-45 minutes, about the duration of even the short delays.

But this was a quick shower, and despite a staff that is mostly new to this rain stuff after working at Tropicana Field, Dan Moeller and Mike Deubel’s crew had the tarp on and off in record time, and the game restarted 17 minutes later.

“I was happy,” Rasmussen said. “It was incredible how well they kept that field in shape and gave us the opportunity to play quickly. … just the opportunity to go back out after the delay, because it was short enough, and they got it ready in time, It was great.”

Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen receives high-fives from teammates after retiring the Rangers during the fifth inning. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]

Plus, he had more work to do.

By the time he was done, Rasmussen had thrown five dazzling, dominant innings, setting up the Rays for a 5-1 victory that was their 10th in their last 13 games and 15th in 23.

The performance ran Rasmussen’s scoreless streak to 23 innings, the longest current stretch in the majors for a starter and 1 ⅔ off Alex Cobb’s franchise record; increased his winning streak to four; lowered his ERA to 2.14; and included eight strikeouts, six looking, including to four consecutive batters.

During the streak, Rasmussen has allowed a .132 average (10-for-76) with 21 strikeouts and just three walks.

“He is on one incredible run right now,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “And he did it (Tuesday) with a delay. That’s not easy for any pitcher to sit down, get out of there. They’re so routine-oriented. So it took him out of his routine, but it did not affect him whatsoever.”

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Nothing seems to be slowing Rasmussen, except maybe the rules the Rays have in place to keep him healthy for a full season with a 150-inning workload.

He’d worked six innings in each of his previous three starts and thought he might get a chance to do that again Tuesday.

But he’d already thrown 79 pitches (not having exceeded 86 at any point), sat through the delay and knew some Rays relievers needed work.

“They’re trying to take care of me, right?” Rasmussen said. “Just my first year back in the rotation. So, it was an opportunity to cut an outing a hair short, just to A) protect me, but B) get some other guys some innings.”

As it was, Rasmussen became the first in the pitching-rich history of the franchise to record four consecutive starts of five or more innings.

The combination of how well Rasmussen is throwing his full repertoire — two fastballs, a cutter, a curveball and a sweeper — and the command he has of them has been special.

“A really impressive pitcher that is locked in and executing,” Cash said. “The fastball command and the action to it has been just a big weapon for him. And I think after he establishes that early, in probably the first three-four hitters, people have to kind of really overcommit to that. Then it opens up the breaking ball, whatever breaking ball he wants to throw.”

Watching Rasmussen from centerfield has been fun, said rookie Kameron Misner, whose looping second-inning home run down the line that escaped Texas leftfielder Wyatt Langford and the FanDuel TV cameras but was confirmed on replay review gave the Rays a 1-0 lead.

The grounds crew rolls away the tarp to uncover the field before the start of Tuesday’s game between the Rays and Rangers at Steinbrenner Field. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]

“It’s easy,” Misner said of playing behind Rasmussen. “I don’t get any balls. It’s awesome. It’s cool being able to stand in centerfield and see his pitches and see how he pitches and the shapes of them. It’s pretty cool to watch.”

From third base, Junior Caminero — who homered for the fifth time in his last six games and 14th this season, and swiped home as part off a double steal in a three-runs-on-two-hits sixth inning — also enjoys the view.

“He’s been doing a tremendous job,” Caminero said via team interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. “We are there just waiting for something to happen to support him. He’s been getting great starts, and hopefully it’ll continue like that.”

How good has Rasmussen been?

“Right now, it’s really elite,” Cash said. “Elite level. The combination of the stuff and the command are allowing him to put up all these scoreless innings and limit damage. There’s just not many hard-hit balls.

“He’s on just an impressive run right now that I don’t think any of us want to get in the way of.”

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