Marlins Blanked and Bashed by Rays in Series Opener

MIAMI — Drew Rasmussen stifled the Miami Marlins bats for seven innings as the Tampa Bay Rays opened the series with a 6-0 win on Friday. 

Rasmussen allowed only one hit with nine strikeouts, establishing a new season high. It was the second time this season he threw seven innings, and the third time he went through an outing without issuing a walk. 

Rays manager Kevin Cash said after the game that the Rays “needed that” out of Rasmussen and “it was a lot of fun to watch.”

“He had everything going,” Cash said. “He got a swing-and-miss against an offense that puts the ball in play. That just speaks to how good his stuff was. The strike throwing was elite.”

The Rays established an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. Junior Caminero doubled and scored on a two-run triple by Richie Palacios. Ryan Vilade drove Palacios home on a single to cap the rally. 

Caminero struck again in the fifth inning with his second double of the game. He scored on a single by Jonathan Aranda to extend the Rays’ lead to 4-0. 

Caminero finished the night 3-for-3 at the plate with two walks and two doubles. He is batting .288 with a .907 OPS with 14 home runs and 30 RBI through the first 60 games of the season. 

“He’s been really great for about a month now,” Cash said. “The maturity to take the at-bats, not try to do too much when pitchers are not giving you anything to hit, and kind of handing it to the next guy. He’s got a couple of pretty good hitters hitting behind him. Let them come up and do some damage when they have to throw the ball over the plate.”

Cedric Mullins added another run for Tampa Bay with a solo home run in the sixth inning. Vilade struck again with an RBI single in the seventh inning to round out the scoring for the Rays. 

Yandy Diaz went 3-for-5 to join Caminero as Rays sluggers with three hits. 

Ryan Gusto started for two innings for the Marlins, giving up three runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout. Tyler Phillips, who has been starting for his past two outings, took over in the third inning and pitched 4.2 frames with three runs allowed on seven hits, three walks, and three strikeouts. 

Will Kempner and Tyler Zuber combined to throw two scoreless innings for the Marlins (29-35) who saw their winning streak end at three. 

The Rays (37-23) rebounded from a three-game losing streak of their own and remain the top team in the American League. 

The Marlins will rely on their bullpen to carry the load on Saturday. Lake Bachar will likely start similarly to this past Tuesday in Washington. The Rays will send Shane McClanahan (6-2, 2.45 ERA) on the mound with their sights set on the series win. 

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