ST. PETERSBURG — Drew Rasmussen, who has posted a 1.81 ERA in 10 career regular-season starts against the New York Yankees, will take the mound Saturday night at Tropicana Field when the Tampa Bay Rays open the American League Division Series against their AL East rivals.
The matchup was set Wednesday night when New York completed a Wild Card Series sweep of the Boston Red Sox. The Rays, who went 55-26 at home this season and hold a 7-6 edge in the season series against New York, will host Games 1 and 2 before the series shifts to Yankee Stadium.
“I don’t think we’re going to do anything to surprise them,” manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday, “and I’m guessing they’re not going to do too many things that are going to surprise us.”
Rasmussen’s career numbers against New York give Tampa Bay reason for confidence in Game 1. He is 5-2 with a 1.81 ERA against the Yankees across those 10 starts, with key hitters in the New York lineup struggling to solve him. Aaron Judge is 2-for-16 with eight strikeouts against him. Anthony Volpe is 0-for-11. Ben Rice is 1-for-16, Jazz Chisholm Jr. is 2-for-14, Cody Bellinger is 4-for-17, and Ryan McMahon is 1-for-10. The bulk of the damage Rasmussen has allowed came in a single outing — six runs in 2 1/3 innings on July 9 — while he held the Yankees to two runs or fewer in the other nine starts.
The Yankees counter with Cam Schlittler, the AL Cy Young Award front-runner, who is potentially lined up to start Games 2 and 5. Left-hander Max Fried, who is 5-1 with a 1.81 ERA in seven career starts against Tampa Bay, appears likely to start Game 3. Carlos Rodón, a fellow left-hander who threw eight scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against the Rays at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 22, could also factor into the rotation, though his role remains unclear.
The left-handed pitching matchup presents a notable tension for Tampa Bay. The Rays went 31-17 against left-handed starters this season but posted a .679 OPS against lefties — the sixth-lowest mark in the majors — suggesting their winning record in those games masked real offensive limitations.
Home-field advantage figures to be a significant variable in what projects as an evenly matched series. The Rays were 55-26 at Tropicana Field this season compared to the Yankees’ 46-34 mark at home. Tampa Bay went just 2-4 in the Bronx during the regular season, a split that gives New York a meaningful edge if the series extends to Games 4 and 5 at Yankee Stadium.
Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.