Rays Turn to Rasmussen for Fifth Game Start
The Tampa Bay ace took the mound on three days' rest in St. Petersburg, allowing one run before being pulled with a 1-0 deficit.
By Pedro Barnes ·
Drew Rasmussen entered Game 5 of the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night with only three days of rest. The 31-year-old right-hander departed the mound after four innings, leaving the Tampa Bay Rays trailing 1-0. He retired his first four batters before the Brewers began to attack his pitch mix.
Brice Turang led off the second inning with a double to left-center on a flat cutter. Sal Frelick followed by drawing a walk. Cooper Pratt then drove a low cutter over the head of second baseman Ben Williamson and into center field for a run-producing single. Rasmussen struck out four batters and issued no walks in a 48-pitch outing. Reliever Kevin Kelly took over for the fifth inning and allowed another run, extending Milwaukee's lead to 2-0.
Rays manager Kevin Cash confirmed the decision to start Rasmussen immediately after the previous day's practice. Cash said he spoke with Rasmussen right after he left the ballpark and found the pitcher fully willing to take the ball. The manager noted that Rasmussen skipped a bullpen session on Tuesday to prepare for the start. Cash added that Rasmussen appeared motivated to correct his performance from Game 2.
In that Saturday contest, Rasmussen threw 89 pitches over three and two-thirds innings. The Brewers rallied for a 5-4 win, giving them a 2-0 series lead. That result followed a 4-3 loss for Milwaukee on Tuesday, a game that saw Tampa Bay use seven pitchers including starter Griffin Jax and relievers Kevin Kelly, Nick Martinez, Bryan Baker, Tyler Wells, Cam Booser, and Ian Seymour.
Rasmussen's arm history includes three major elbow operations. He underwent Tommy John surgeries in 2016 and 2017, followed by an internal brace procedure in 2023. In the regular season, the two-time All-Star posted a 16-5 record with a 2.67 earned run average. His home record in 15 starts was 9-3. In 2024, he served as an opener for the Rays and made short starts on two days' rest.
The Brewers started Jacob Misiorowski on four days' rest. Milwaukee held a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series before falling in extra innings Tuesday. Junior Caminero returned to the Rays lineup, batting third, after leaving Tuesday's game with a foot injury. He limped off the field in the 12th inning after moving from first to third base on a single. Cash said Caminero has dealt with lower-extremity injuries but is expected to play through them.
