Are Rays' Aces Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen The Best 1-2 Punch in the AL?
BALTIMORE, Md. — Tampa Bay center fielder Kevin Kiermaier didn't hold back on Tuesday night when he was asked about Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan, who had just pitched another gem in a win over the Detroit Tigers.
"He's incredible. Best in the league,'' Kiermaier said of McClanahan. "I don't want anyone else on the mound other than him. It doesn't matter if it's righty or lefty, no one looks comfortable off of him. He has gotten so much better from last year to this year, and it seems like he keeps getting so much better from start to start.
"He was dangerous before, but what he's doing right now is incredible. That boy is nasty and he puts on a show. I'm glad I don't have to hit off of him.''
But Wednesday, a follow-up question was a must for Kiermaier.
Drew Rasmussen, the Rays' No. 2 starter, threw five scoreless innings in the Rays' 6-1 win. He's been on fire lately too, allowing just three earned runs total in his last five starts. The Rays have won all five starts, and he's 4-0 with a 1.01 earned run average over that time.
It had to be asked. If McClanahan was the best, are McClanahan and Rasmussen the best one-two punch in the American League?
"Well, I would say they'd certainly have an argument. They've both been nasty these last few weeks,'' Kiermaier said. The Rays are 9-1 in their combined last 10 starts. "What you always want from your starting pitching is to give you a chance to win, but those two guys, man they are the biggest reasons why we're winning all those games.
"They aren't giving up anything. And heck no, I'm not swapping those two guys for anyone. Absolutely not.''
McClanahan just turned 25 a few weeks ago, and he's in his second full year as a starter. Rasmussen, the 26-year-old who came over to the Rays a year ago from Milwaukee, was used out the bullpen when he first got to Tampa Bay, but was stretched out into a starter.
Both have four-pitch arsenals, and both will throw any of their four pitches at any time. McClanahan and his high-90s fastball gets more strikeouts, and Rasmussen pitches to contact more.
But what's real is that they both get outs. And an argument can be made that they are the best one-two punch in the league right now.
Here is a breakdown of what McClanahan and Rasmussen have done so far this season. And I've compared them to others who would have an argument as well, such as Nestor Cortes and Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees, Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros and Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Here's a chart of what they've done all season, with a breakout of the last five starts for each pitcher. McClanahan and Rasmussen compare very favorably. Here are all the stats for the four twosomes, through Friday's games.
The Rays' pair has the lowest WHIP of the group, and McClanahan has the most strikeouts by far. They've allowed the fewest amount of hits and have the lowest ERA (tied) in this shorter five-game window for each.
The Yankees might have the best argument because Cortes has been surprisingly good and Cole, who was a little shaky in his first two starts, has found a groove. Their group ERA is slightly better than McClanahan and Rasmussen combined, but the WHIP is slightly lower.
What's made McClanahan and Rasmussen so special this year is that this is still all relatively new to them. But they are maturing rapidly.
"Guys who pitch in the top of rotations, they learn how to find a way to get out of situations, and to me, watching those guys mature into top-flight starters has been really fun to watch,'' Rays catcher Mike Zunino. "Shane, he's still so young, and there's been a day or two this season where he had to struggle through a few early moments, but he's done that, and gets out of it without every panicking
"Look, he's got that high-90s plus fastball that every hitter has to respect, but then he'll come at you with all those other pitches, and he's not afraid to throw any of them on any count. That's tough on hitters, because there's just no way you can sit on anything with Shane. And he's learned to slow himself down in big moments. He really handles himself great.''
It's been the same with Rasmussen. He's had to deal with pitch counts getting high quick in a few games, but he's also shutting teams down game after game. He's allowed one run or less in five straight starts and the Rays are 7-1 in his games. He's fooling hitters often, getting a lot of swings-and-misses lately.
For instance, he had 20 swing and misses last Wednesday against Detroit.
"I think the stuff is really good, and it comes down to execution at the end of the day,'' Rasmussen said. " I'm really happy with where both the slider and the fastball are, and when I can go with the cutter in both directions, it's really good. The most comfortable I get, I get go in on lefts, and away on rights, and I feel good about being able to limit any hard contact.''
He's done exactly that. They both have. And it allows for a great argument, at least for now, to be made. Are they the best in the league right now?
McClanahan, drafted out of South Florida four years ago, was the Opening Day starter and he's been cherishing that role without it getting to him. He's always expected this — all this success — to happen, but it doesn't affect him either. He was basically a two-pitcher pitcher coming up, but he's got four pitches now that can get things done.
And his changeup has made a huge difference in 2022. It's that extra added piece that's made him elite. It's taken him deeper into games, too. He's gone seven innings three times already.
"I think it's just trusting it more this year, and getting more comfortable with it,'' McClanahan said. "It's kind of part of that maturation process. I feel good out there, and it's all about staying in attack mode when I'm out there. I get in a good groove, and I can trust the stuff in the zone because we have such a great defense behind us.''
McClanahan isn't concerned about his place in the game right now. For him, it's all about winning. The numbers? That's for others to add up.
"I think once you start pitching for accolades and recognition, then you're playing for the wrong things,'' McClanahan said. "I just want to go out there and help this team win, whatever I can do. Whatever I have to do, I do, and the success is just a byproduct of that.''
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Tom Brew is the publisher of Inside The Rays, and has been with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation network for three years. He is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his four-decade career at the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has written four books.