TAMPA, Fla. — Drew Rasmussen added another chapter to his impressive scoreless streak Tuesday night, pitching five dominating innings of one-hit baseball and guiding the Tampa Bay Rays to a 5-1 triumph over the Texas Rangers.
Rasmussen, who has now gone 23 innings without surrendering a run, permitted just a solitary hit—a single by Jake Burger in the third—and fanned eight batters. The game, which managed to proceed despite a brief rain delay of under 20 minutes, was attended by 9,131 fans at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Kameron Misner initiated the Rays’ scoring with a solo home run in the second inning. Yandy Diaz increased the lead in the sixth by scoring on a wild pitch thrown by popular Rangers pitcher Jacob Latz. During the same inning, Jonathan Aranda crossed home plate thanks to an infield hit by Jake Mangum. Another highlight saw Junior Caminero make an unexpected move by stealing home while Misner was struck out looking.
To cap Tampa Bay’s scoring efforts, Caminero launched his fifth home run within six games during the eighth inning.
Burger doubled as the offensive standout for Texas as well, collecting two hits including an RBI single in the seventh inning.
Rangers pitcher Tyler Mahle struggled, giving up five hits, four earned runs, and three walks over 5 1/3 innings. While he managed to strike out five, it wasn’t enough to contain the Rays’ lineup.
A pivotal moment in the game occurred in the sixth inning when, with runners on first and third, Junior Caminero prudently dashed home on a steal. Los Angeles’ catcher Kyle Higashioka’s attempt to catch Jake Mangum stealing second left a window of opportunity, and Caminero took advantage by sprinting past shortstop Corey Seager’s line of sight.
Statistically, Rasmussen’s recent performances have been nothing short of extraordinary. In his last four outings, dating back to May 17, he hasn’t allowed a single run, struck out 21 batters, walked just three, and conceded 10 hits. This was also the 14th consecutive match where a Rays starting pitcher allowed three or fewer runs.
The teams gear up for another encounter with Texas right-hander Kumar Rocker, who carries an 8.10 ERA and a 1-3 record, set to start following an injury break. Tampa Bay’s Shane Baz, on the other hand, hopes to avoid his recent pattern of yielding multiple home runs when he takes the mound.
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