TAMPA -- The Rays had every reason to believe their talented starting rotation was flying under the radar in Spring Training.
If they keep pitching like this, that won’t be the case for much longer.
Tampa Bay completed a dominant first turn through the rotation on Tuesday night, as Shane Baz struck out a career-high 10 batters over six scoreless innings in Tampa Bay’s 7-0 win over the Pirates before a sold-out crowd of 10,046 at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
“I just didn't want to be the guy to throw a bad first game. It’s fun. It’s fun to watch,” Baz said. “Every outing, I feel like, has the potential to be special for everybody. So it's an honor to be part of the group.”
The victory clinched the Rays’ second straight series victory to begin the season and gave them four wins in their first five games for the sixth time in team history.
This is the fourth straight year Baz has been on the Rays' Opening Day roster, but it’s the first time he’s been part of their season-opening rotation. He was thrilled to finally be healthy and active from the jump, energized after an extra day of rest between outings and comfortable with his curveball command as soon as he stepped onto the mound.
It all showed in his season debut.
Baz fired his fastball up to 100.4 mph -- his first time touching triple digits in the Majors -- and finished eight of his strikeouts with his curveball. Overall, Baz put together only the 12th start in Rays history with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks.
Facing the Pittsburgh club that selected him 12th overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, Baz permitted seven hits -- all singles -- and allowed just one runner to reach third base. Baz induced 13 swinging strikes, including eight on his curve, during his 96-pitch performance.
“You kind of just sit back, and as a defender, you kind of thank him,” second baseman Brandon Lowe said. “You're like, 'Thank God he's on my team.' I found myself kind of saying that a lot tonight.”
The Rays have said that about their starters every day so far. Ryan Pepiot, Zack Littell, Taj Bradley, Drew Rasmussen and Baz have combined to surrender only five runs (four earned) over 29 innings while striking out 36 and walking just one batter.
“Pretty incredible,” manager Kevin Cash said. “It's easy to say to go out and do that, but to go actually execute it and get a time through like they have done ... there's a standard that each guy is kind of setting and the next guy wants to follow.”
Tampa Bay’s rotation has recorded four quality starts, and Rasmussen was lifted after five scoreless innings only because the Rays are monitoring his workload in his return to the rotation following a third major right elbow surgery. And they’re doing it with their expected Opening Day starter, ace Shane McClanahan, on the injured list due to a nerve-related left triceps issue.
“We talked about it all spring, right? The starting staff has some really good stuff, and what's hard to believe is the bullpen has better stuff,” Rasmussen said. “I think we've been really efficient, and the ability to fill up the strike zone early and often gives us the opportunity to punch people out late.”
Granted, the Rays have faced two teams that finished in last place a season ago. But relentless strike-throwing has indeed been key to the club’s early success and staff-wide 1.60 ERA.
Tampa Bay pitchers haven’t issued a walk since Opening Day, becoming the first Major League team to go four games without a free pass since the A’s did so from Sept. 25-28, 2014. Overall, the Rays have racked up 56 strikeouts with only three walks in five games.
Even with a big lead thanks to Lowe (two-run homer, three RBIs), Jake Mangum (three hits, two RBIs) and Kameron Misner (two RBIs), the Rays didn’t make it any easier on the Pirates. After Mason Englert worked two scoreless innings, lefty reliever Mason Montgomery ran his fastball up to 102.2 mph and struck out three of the four batters he faced in the ninth.
“Right now, I am very happy that I'm on this team. Facing these guys would be miserable,” Lowe said. “Starting pitching, bullpen arms, whatever it is -- I mean, it would not be fun to hit against this team, and it's shown.”
The Rays get it. A lot of their starters are younger, less established, certainly not household names like the one Pepiot will face in Wednesday’s series finale: Paul Skenes. But they’re arguably as talented as any rotation in baseball, and they’re out to prove it.
“I'll take our guys against anybody else,” Pepiot said.