MILWAUKEE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) -Drew Rasmussen has been the epitome of an ace for the Tampa Bay Rays this postseason. In three playoff starts, the right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA, allowing three runs over 21 innings, striking out 23 and walking three.
After he last pitched in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, a 3-1 Rays win on Oct. 18, he could have started Game 1 of the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night on normal rest.
Tampa, though, is electing to get him an extra day of rest and throw off, instead giving the ball to veteran right-hander Nick Martinez for the opener of the best-of-seven series.
“We prioritized Drew getting an extra day. He’s had a pretty thick workload here,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said Thursday during media day in defense of the decision. “We’ve relied on him heavily. We know when he takes the ball, we’re trying to get the full pitch allotment out of him.
There’s not much of a drop-off in terms of the quality Martinez provided this season relative to Rasmussen. He threw a team-high 180 innings this regular season with a 3.10 ERA, trailing only Rasmussen (2.67) among starters.
It’s quite a come-up for a pitcher who signed a one-year contract with the Rays back in February.
“I’m sure you guys can remember my Spring Training wasn’t a great one. Now we’re here,” Martinez said. “Again, I think that speaks a lot about the type of people I have around me to kind of navigate this season and help me out and help me be in this situation, and we’re having a lot of fun with it.”
Martinez is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts this postseason. Those starts, though, have lasted a combined nine innings, which may be another factor in starting him Friday when the bullpen is at its freshest.