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The Tampa Bay Rays are handing the ball to their ace with the American League Championship Series hanging in the balance. Drew Rasmussen will start Game 5 against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday at Progressive Field, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
The right-hander will take the mound with the series tied 2-2 after Tampa Bay’s 7-3 win in Game 4 on Saturday night.
It is the obvious call for Kevin Cash. Rasmussen has been the anchor of the Rays’ rotation all season, going 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. He opened the year as Tampa Bay’s Opening Day starter, earned his second straight All-Star selection and was named AL Pitcher of the Month for June after posting a 0.82 ERA over five starts.
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Rasmussen will be pitching on five days of rest after starting Game 1 of the series in Tampa on Oct. 12. He was sharp for most of that outing, holding Cleveland to two runs over six-plus innings while striking out seven. Both runs came on solo homers, with Chase DeLauter going deep in the sixth inning and Patrick Bailey tying the game with a blast in the seventh that ended Rasmussen’s night.
The Rays’ bullpen could not hold it from there. Cleveland broke through for two runs in the eighth and added three more in the ninth to win 7-3, leaving Rasmussen with a no-decision.
Since then, the series has swung back and forth. Tampa Bay evened it with a 3-1 win in Game 2, Cleveland edged the Rays 3-2 in Game 3, and the Rays answered with a seven-run effort in Game 4 after a rain postponement pushed the game back a day.
Cleveland is expected to counter with Parker Messick, who took the loss in Game 2.
Game 5 is set for 5:08 p.m. ET on Sunday. The series then shifts back to Tropicana Field for Game 6 on Monday and a potential Game 7. The winner will face the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series.
With the series now a best-of-three, the Rays are trusting their most reliable arm to give them the edge heading home.
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