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, but this one came on a special occasion.
Nick Martinez, their veteran clubhouse leader and All-Star rotation anchor, turned 36 years old on Wednesday. The Rays always rave about what Martinez has brought to their team this season, both on and off the field, and he gave them a gift of his own before they could properly celebrate him.
Martinez pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the Rays’ 4-0 win over the Rockies on Wednesday afternoon, their fifth shutout in the last 11 games, to seal Tampa Bay’s Major League-leading 11th series sweep of the season and the club’s first-ever sweep at Coors Field.
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.
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. Tampa Bay improved to 17-5 with Martinez on the mound, and he lowered 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's 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.”
The Rays presented Martinez with plenty of support. The first of two triples by Victor Mesa Jr. sparked a two-run first inning, as he scored on a single by Jonathan Aranda before Chandler Simpson delivered another RBI single.
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 and the 85th of his young career, already tied with Randy Arozarena for the 10th-most in franchise history.
Shortstop Taylor Walls helped the Rays manufacture another run in the seventh. He worked a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on back-to-back sacrifice bunts by Nick Fortes and Mesa.
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.