DETROIT – Drew Rasmussen has been a model of consistency and dependability for the Rays, and he put the team on his back once again in Monday night’s 4-1 win over the Tigers at Comerica Park.
Rasmussen allowed one run on three hits over six innings with five strikeouts and no walks, and the two-time All-Star won for the seventh consecutive start. Only two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell has done better in franchise history, winning nine straight late in the 2018 season.
Rasmussen, with strikes on 71 of a season-high 103 pitches, also equaled the longest win streak this season by any MLB pitcher, matching Miami’s Sandy Alcantara, who won seven in a row from June 1-July 4.
Closer Bryan Baker closed it out in the ninth with his MLB-leading 38th save, extending his club record with a 27th consecutive save conversion.
Rasmussen set up the victory by limiting Detroit to just three baserunners.
Pitching from the stretch -- which he does to provide repeatability to his delivery while perhaps sacrificing a mile or two off his fastball speed -- Rasmussen didn’t allow a hit until Javier Báez singled with two outs in the third inning.
Rasmussen (14-5, 2.95 ERA) retired the last eight batters he faced after wiggling out of the only trouble he got into in the fourth.
American League Rookie of the Year candidate Kevin McGonigle lashed a one-out double to left-center and advanced to third on an opposite-field single to right by cleanup hitter Dillon Dingler.
Brett Callahan brought home McGonigle with a sacrifice fly to deep center field, but Rasmussen stopped the rally in its tracks. He got Zach McKinstry to fly out to center for the third out.
Tampa Bay -- which was swept in three games by the Tigers in St. Petersburg June 1-3 -- picked away at Detroit starter Framber Valdez by getting its leadoff batters to score in three innings.
Jonathan Aranda’s 16th homer of the season led off the sixth and provided the 4-1 lead Rasmussen left the mound with after finishing his outing in the bottom half of that frame.
Yandy Díaz and Ryan Vilade opened the game with consecutive singles before scoring on groundouts from Junior Caminero and Aranda, respectively.
Second baseman Jorge Mateo, who also made some nice defensive plays, doubled to open the fourth, moved to third on a sacrifice by catcher Nick Fortes and scored on an infield single by Chandler Simpson. McGonigle’s throw to the plate was a tad late to catch Mateo.
Simpson, who avoided injury while making a diving catch in the first and going to the ground in a heap, extended his hitting streak to 15 games. He’s three short of his career-best 18-gamer, set June 25-July 19, 2025, and has the longest current streak in MLB.
The Rays (78-53) are 14-3 in their last 17 road games.