Griffin Jax is making a strong case for the Tampa Bay Rays' postseason rotation after five scoreless innings against the Athletics. With Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez and Freddy Peralta leading the staff, could Jax become Tampa Bay's fourth starter in October?
The Tampa Bay Rays have spent the last few weeks getting a much clearer picture of what their postseason starting rotation could look like.
With injuries, trade deadline pieces improving, and mainstays at the top end of the staff, some questions about who belongs in the rotation are still left to be answered.
And after Tuesday night, I'm starting to think Griffin Jax has made a pretty strong case to be part of it.
Jax was outstanding in Tampa Bay's 2-1 walk-off victory over the Athletics, allowing only two hits across five scoreless innings while striking out seven and walking nobody.
But the final numbers don't tell the entire story.
Jax generated 14 swinging strikes, including eight on his changeup, which was reportedly about one mile per hour slower than its season average.
That might not sound like much, but the results speak for themselves. And that small added level of control could make him dangerous in the postseason.
Athletics hitters struggled to make contact, and Jax gave Tampa Bay exactly what it needed on a night when the offense couldn't get much going.
Jax also pitched well against the Atlanta Braves, giving the Rays another reason to feel considerably better about their starting pitching heading into October.
We've talked about Drew Rasmussen being the likely Game 1 starter.
Nick Martinez has been one of Tampa Bay's most dependable pitchers throughout the season, and Freddy Peralta has completely changed the conversation after his difficult debut.
That gives the Rays three starting pitchers they should feel pretty good about as we still await more news on whether Shane McClanahan will be available.
So what happens after that?
Ian Seymour has had some difficult outings recently, and although Shane McClanahan could return, there are still questions about how much he would be able to provide after missing time. He will likely be limited and may take some time to build up. A bullpen role could be likely.
That's where Jax becomes interesting.
I'm not saying one strong start against the Athletics automatically guarantees him a postseason rotation spot. This is assuming Kevin Cash uses more than 3 pitchers in his playoff rotation.
But when you combine Tuesday's performance with what he showed against Atlanta, it's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore what he's doing.
Of course, there are still 12 games remaining, and Tampa Bay has some decisions to make before the postseason begins.
But the conversation about the fourth starter might be considerably different than it was a few weeks ago.
Rasmussen, Martinez, and Peralta have already given the Rays plenty of reasons to feel confident about their rotation.
If Jax continues pitching like this, Tampa Bay might have found its fourth starter at exactly the right time.
