Stingy Pair: Rays’ Nick Martinez, Drew Rasmussen Stifle Opponents

Nick Martinez threw 71 pitches through seven innings and was at 82 after eight. Not even manager Kevin Cash could find a reason to remove the veteran righthander from his outing in West Sacramento against the A’s on Tuesday evening. Instead, Martinez pitched the second complete game of his career and won a career-high 12^th game for the Rays.

“Obviously, I don’t come in with the mindset of throwing a CG, especially in this place where things can happen fast,” he said of Sutter Health Ballpark. “The mentality is (keep going) until they take the ball from you.”

There was no taking the ball from Martinez, who signed with Tampa Bay at the beginning of spring training. He agreed to a one-year deal that made him the team’s highest-paid player at $13 million, including a $4 million buyout on a mutual option for the 2027 season.

The 36-year-old Martinez, whose previous high was 11 wins for the Reds last season, and fellow righthander, Drew Rasmussen, are as formidable a duo one will find at the top of a rotation. Heading into play August 14, each had 12 wins to tie for second in the American League with Martinez (2.74) and Rasmussen (2.78) checking in at fourth and fifth in the league in ERA. The latter led the junior circuit in WHIP at 0.91 with the former ninth at 1.09.

Rasmussen won the series finale against the A’s to give Tampa Bay a perfect 9-0 road trip and the 31-year-old his career high as well, surpassing the 11 games he won for the Rays in 2022. That was his first full season with the club after being acquired from Milwaukee in May 2021.

A major reason for the effectiveness of the all-star pitchers is superb efficiency, including the lack of free passes. In fact, among qualified pitchers, Martinez (1.30 BB/9) and Rasmussen (1.60 BB/9) are the stingiest in the majors. They are the only two with a walk rate below 1.90. Martinez has an active streak of 31 2/3 innings without issuing a walk.

Both pitchers are nearing career highs for innings. Martinez, who recorded a high of 159 2/3 innings with Cincinnati last year, has logged 138 innings in 23 starts. Rasmussen, who endured a third elbow procedure that shelved him for much of 2023 and a good chunk of 2024 before tossing 150 innings last season while being closely monitored, has thrown 129 innings while also making 23 starts.

While they have been their typical stingy selves on the mound, the veteran pitchers have received ample help from a lineup that can do no wrong of late.

“There are so many different ways that we can score runs,” said Rasmussen, following Wednesday’s outing that gave the Rays a sweep of their trip. “Our ability to score, it’s never reliant on one facet of the game. We have a bunch of different options, and continuously, we get to see our skill sets on display.”

The Rays (74-46, .617) head into a four-game wraparound weekend series against the visiting Orioles with MLB’s best record and with a 6.5 game lead over the Yankees in the AL East. They will lose a game again soon, for sure, but what a road trip it was sweeping through Denver, Seattle and West Sacramento.

“We did everything really well,” said Cash. “We hit well. We pitched well. We defended well. We ran the bases well. As a result, we found a way to get nine wins.”

During the trip, Martinez and Rasmussen went a combined 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA. In a larger picture, and beginning with a series against the visiting Diamondbacks at the end June, both are 6-1 for a combined 12-2.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com