ST. PETERSBURG -- Drew Rasmussen gave up a hit to the first Guardians batter he faced Sunday at Tropicana Field.
From there, his day on the mound couldn’t have been smoother.
Rasmussen made quick work of Cleveland’s lineup through seven innings on just 87 pitches in Tampa Bay’s 1-0 victory to complete a three-game sweep. The win improved the Rays’ record to 62-43, 2 games in front of the Yankees in the AL East standings ahead of their Sunday night matchup against the Phillies. Tampa is also an MLB-best 38-15 at home this season.
Rasmussen didn’t allow a hit after Steven Kwan’s leadoff double and permitted only two baserunners on a walk and a hit-by-pitch afterward. The two-time All-Star right-hander struck out nine Guardians and retired the final 12 batters he faced.
The Rays got the only run they needed in the fifth inning. Chandler Simpson opened the frame by slapping a single to left past a drawn-in José Ramírez at third base. After Simpson moved up 180 feet on a wild pitch and a groundout, Cedric Mullins popped up a bunt that landed about 30 feet in front of home plate toward the first-base side. Once it hit the turf in front of first baseman Kyle Manzardo, he had no chance to make a flip home in time to catch the speedy Simpson, who slid safely head-first onto the dish.