A team shutout and a sweep on your birthday? 'About as good as it gets' for Martinez

DENVER -- There were plans being made early Wednesday for the Rays to enjoy a post-flight dinner in Seattle. Team dinners are hardly out of the ordinary for this tight-knit group, especially on the first night in a new city, but this one was meant to mark a special occasion.

Nick Martinez turned 36 years old on Wednesday.

But before the Rays could properly celebrate their veteran clubhouse leader and All-Star rotation anchor, he gave them a couple gifts of his own: a shutout and a sweep.

Martinez pitched 5 2/3 excellent innings in the Rays’ 4-0 win over the Rockies on Wednesday afternoon, their fifth shutout in the last 11 games and their 11th overall, to seal Tampa Bay’s Major League-leading 11th series sweep of the season and the club’s first one ever at Coors Field.

"Very impressive,” manager Kevin Cash said after the Rays’ 12th win in their last 16 games. “It’s tough to pitch a shutout here, for sure. And Nick set the tone.”

The Rays always rave about what Martinez has brought to their team this season, both on and off the field, but it seemed fitting for that to be the case on this particular afternoon.

It was Martinez’s fourth time pitching in the Majors on his birthday -- and his fourth win. In three career starts and one relief appearance on Aug. 5, the right-hander is now 4-0 with just one run allowed in 17 2/3 innings (0.51 ERA).

“A shutout and a sweep on a birthday is about as good as it gets,” Martinez said.

With Martinez coming off a tough outing against the White Sox and the Rays having burned through their bullpen during an 11-inning marathon on Tuesday night, it was just another huge performance in a season full of them. He leaned heavily on his changeup, his best pitch and the one least affected by Denver’s mile-high altitude, while allowing only six hits and striking out four.

Tampa Bay improved to 17-5 with Martinez on the mound, and he picked up his career-high-tying 11th win while lowering his ERA to 2.65, fourth-best among qualified American League pitchers.

“What that man means to this group, it's second to none. I mean, there are no words I could ever use to describe it perfectly,” starter Drew Rasmussen said. “We're fortunate he's here with us. We're fortunate that we get to celebrate him and just continue to watch what he's been able to accomplish on the field this year.”

Ever the consummate teammate, Martinez said that sentiment goes both ways.

“These guys mean a lot to me,” he said. “That’s maybe the most important thing I look forward to: Just how the guys view me as a teammate and as a competitor. That’s how I try to live every day.”

The Rays matched their emotional support of Martinez with a bit of early run support. With Yandy Díaz given a rare day off, Victor Mesa Jr. -- who also drove in Taylor Walls with a sacrifice bunt in the seventh -- was making his first start atop the order.

The first of Mesa’s two triples sparked a two-run first inning, as he scored on a single by Jonathan Aranda before Chandler Simpson delivered another RBI single. He admitted he was surprised to find himself batting first on Wednesday morning, but he wound up joining Carl Crawford (four times in 2004) and Randy Winn (once in 1998) as the third player in franchise history with multiple triples in a game from the leadoff spot.

“I was not trying to do what Yandy does, because [that’s] super hard to do,” Mesa said, smiling. “I tried to be me, fight [in] my ABs, and thank God it was a good day.”

Junior Caminero had the biggest hit of the day, a Statcast-projected 449-foot home run to left field to lead off the third inning. It was Caminero’s 33rd homer of the season -- tied for second-most in the Majors -- and the 85th of his young career, already tied with Randy Arozarena for the 10th-most in franchise history.

This was Caminero’s first trip to Coors Field. He left with three homers in three days and a profound appreciation for the opportunity to hit in this ballpark.

“I like [it] a lot,” Caminero said. “I want to stay three more days here.”

Tampa Bay’s bullpen took care of business behind Martinez, too, starting with the Rays’ newest reliever. Trade Deadline acquisition Tyler Wells racked up four strikeouts in his team debut, then left-handers Garrett Cleavinger and Cam Booser shut the door to give Tampa Bay 16 straight scoreless innings to finish the series.

“Not easy to do whatsoever,” Martinez said. “That’s a tip of the cap to our bullpen, the pitching staff, in general, and our catchers.”