Margot, Lowe Home Runs Ice 'Homecoming' Win For Rays' Rasmussen in 8-2 Rout
SEATTLE, Wash. — Drew Rasmussen came home to Washington state to pitch for the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night, and he brought along a few of his friends.
And they brought their bats.
Getting the start against the team he grew up rooting for, the 26-year-old Spokane native had his third straight outstanding outing, allowing just one run in five innings.
He got a ton of run support. Second baseman Brandon Lowe hit two early home runs and Manuel Margot, who is on fire, hit a grand slam in the eighth inning to leave no doubt in the Rays' 8-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
It was the sixth straight win for the Rays on this West Coast trip, and they are now 18-10 on the season. Rasmussen is now 3-1 on the season, and he's beaten the Mariners twice in 12 days. His earned run average is now just 2.89.
The Rays scored first in the third inning on an unearned run, benefiting on a throwing error by Seattle second baseman Adam Frazier, and they made it 2-0 in the fourth when Brandon Lowe, who's been heating up after a slow start, hit a home run into the front row in right center field.
Rasmussen worked around some trouble in the third, when he loaded the bases with one out with back-to-back walks. But he got Ty France to fly out to shallow right and the runners couldn't advance, and then Yandy Diaz made a great player at first base and threw to Rasmussen just in time for the third out.
Seattle got its only run off of Rasmussen in the fifth. Rookie standout Julio. Rodriguez tripled to open the inning, but Rasmussen got the next two batters. Frazier singled to right on a 94 mph fastball, though, and Rodriguez scored. Ty France then singled too, but Rasmussen struck out Dylan Moore to end the threat.
Lowe hit is second homer in the sixth, another solo shot, to make it 3-1.
The game went sideways for Seattle in the eighth off of reliever Diego Castillo, who spent four years with the Rays from 2018 to 2021. He faced five batters and didn't get anyone out. Wander Franco and Harold Ramirez singled, and then Franco beat a throw to home on a Randy Arozarena ground ball to make it 4-1. Margot then hit the next pitch into the seats in left for an 8-1 lead.
The Tampa Bay bullpen was excellent again. Colin Poche and Brooks Raley threw 1-2-3 innings in the sixth and seventh and Ralph Garza Jr, who was called up earlier in the day, pitched the final two innings. He got the first five outs before allowing a long home run to right by designated hitter Abraham Toro.
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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.