Rays Inch Closer to First Thanks to Franco's 'Wanderful' Return
NEW YORK — Was he ready? Finally ready? Those were the questions about Tampa Bay's wunderkind shortstop, Wander Franco, who returned to the lineup on Friday night after missing two months with a wrist injury.
It didn't take long for the 21-year-old star to answer with an emphatic yes. Batting No. 2 in the Rays' order, he followed Yandy Diaz's first-pitch double with a first-pitch double of his own off on Yankees starter Frankie Montas, giving the Rays a quick lead. He wound up having three hits in Tampa Bay's massive 4-2 win over the New York Yankees.
With the win, the Rays (78-58) are now 20 games over. 500 for the first time all year, and they're just 3 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the American League East race. They're just two games back in the loss column, with the final two head-to-head matchups of the regular season coming on Saturday and Sunday.
The Rays — who were 15 1/2 games out seven weeks ago —can really sniff first place now, and having Franco clearly makes a world of difference.
"Thank God that I was able to help out the team the way I did. This team has been doing a very good job and I was glad to help tonight,'' Franco said. "We're going to keep working hard until we get to where we want to be.''
✨ A WANDERful start to this series ✨@Ry_Bass speaks with Wander Franco after the @RaysBaseball 4-2 win vs the Yankees.#MLB | #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/YAvYb7YZ64
— Bally Sports Sun: Rays (@BallyRays) September 10, 2022
The injury-riddled Yankees continue to be in free-fall. They've lost five of their past seven games with the Rays and since July 8 they are just 22-33. They won't get any sympathy from the Rays, of course, who've dealt with injuries all year long themselves.
The difference right now though is that the Rays are getting healthy at the right time. Harold Ramirez and Manuel Margot came back last month and have been great. Pete Fairbanks has locked down the closer spot after missing four months, too.
And now here comes Franco, who's coming off of his second long injured-list stint. He's only played 59 games this season, first missing nearly a month with quadriceps and hamstring injuries and then breaking the hamate bone in his wrist in July.
Franco also played a big role in the Rays' three-run rally in the fourth inning that blew the game open. After Ji-Man Choi walked and Diaz laced a two-out single to center, Franco drilled a ball down the left field line. Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks dashed over and tried to make a play near the foul line and the corner, but the ball bounced off his glove, with both runs scoring when Hicks didn't realize the ball was fair. Randy Arozarena followed with another double to make it 4-0. Hicks was benched after that by Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
The top of the order was great for the Rays all night. Franco and Arozarena both had three hits, and Diaz had two.
The Rays built a big lead because starter Drew Rasmussen was awesome. He was supposed to pitch on Tuesday, but Rhett Rasmussen, his new soon, had other ideas. He came into the world on Tuesday morning — the first child for Drew and his wife Stevie — so he had to miss his start, and was pushed back to Friday.
The kid saw his dad pitch a monster game. Rasmussen threw six scoreless innings and had a career-high 10 strikeouts in his first start in nine days.
"It's the greatest week of my life, and that can't be understated,'' Rasmussen said. "Lack of sleep leads to really good results, I guess.''
Rasmussen, who is 10-4 on the season now with a 2.57 ERA, came by Tropicana Field briefly on Wednesday and threw a little bit. He spent Thursday with Stevie and Rhett "just watching him, amazed and awed.' We got discharged (Thursday) just in time for them to take me to the airport.''
"It's the greatest week of my life... Just so blessed and happy and lucky to be in the position (the team) is in... Just coming off the paternity list, we were blessed with a great baby boy."
— Bally Sports Sun: Rays (@BallyRays) September 10, 2022
Drew Rasmussen describes what this week has been for him personally and professionally. pic.twitter.com/fKVjwAVx1W
The extra rest seems to benefit Rasmussen. When the Rays gave him a lighter load last month, he had a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles. He gave up six hits Friday night, but struck out 10, his first double-digit punch-out game of his career.
Rasmussen was asked if dad stretch was a real thing. "If it's going to go like this the rest of the way, I'm in,'' he said.
New York did scratch back lately, but it wasn't enough. They got a run off of reliever Jalen Beeks in the seventh, and then starting making some noise in the ninth. Kyle Higashioka homered off of JT Chargois to make it 4-2, and after he walked Aaron Judge with two outs, the Rays turned to Shawn Armstrong to finish it off. He got Gleyber Torres to fly out deep to right field to end the game.
The two teams will get together again on Saturday afternoon. Corey Kluber (10-7, 4.00 ERA) will start for the Rays, taking on Jameson Taillon (12-4, 3.95 ERA). Kluber, who pitched for the Yankees a year ago, just pitched against the Yankees last Saturday, pitching seven scoreless innings and allowing just two hits.
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.