Rain changed the calendar in Cleveland, but not Tampa Bay’s plan. The Rays will send Nick Martinez to the mound for Saturday night’s Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, holding to the assignment he had before Friday’s washout at Progressive Field.
Tampa Bay trails the Guardians, 2-1, in the best-of-seven series. Cleveland likewise stayed put, with Shawn Armstrong set to open Game 4 for the home club.
Quick facts
- Game 4 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET Saturday on TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max.
- Nick Martinez remains Tampa Bay’s Game 4 starter after Friday’s postponement.
- Shawn Armstrong will serve as Cleveland’s opener.
- Drew Rasmussen now lines up for a possible Game 5 on Sunday with five days between starts.
- If the series returns to Tropicana Field, Freddy Peralta could take Game 6 on Monday night.
Manager Kevin Cash offered no commitments beyond Martinez when the postponement was announced. “We’ll handle the rest one day at a time,” Cash said.
The choice keeps the Rays in the alignment they believe can win both weekend games. Rasmussen could have moved up on four days’ rest, but Martinez was already due for this turn, and Tampa Bay sees value in leaving him there.
Martinez has given the Rays every reason to trust the assignment. He blanked Cleveland across 13 innings in two regular-season meetings, and his 2.38 road ERA ranked fourth in the American League behind Cam Schlittler, Dylan Cease and Parker Messick.
The 36-year-old right-hander also has not started since throwing 3 2/3 innings in Game 3 of the ALDS. Moving him back two more days could have interrupted a routine Tampa Bay has preferred to protect.
The club is 23-9 when Martinez starts this season. Left fielder Chandler Simpson called him one of the team’s anchors, saying the clubhouse responds when Martinez has the ball because players know their leader is on the mound and everyone has to back him.
Martinez has stayed ready throughout the series. He watched Game 1 from the bullpen in case he was needed, then remained in his cleats in the dugout for Games 2 and 3, prepared to enter in relief.
“If the club needs something from me, I’m ready for it,” Martinez said.
He took the shifting weather forecast in stride even before Friday’s game was canceled. Martinez said he had only learned about the uncertainty while walking to the ballpark, adding that there was little he could affect beyond being prepared.
Rasmussen gets another recovery day
The rainout may prove useful for Rasmussen, who has carried a heavy October workload. He threw a career-high 114 pitches in his Sept. 22 regular-season finale at Yankee Stadium, followed by 101 pitches over eight innings in Game 1 of the ALDS on Oct. 3 and 91 pitches while reaching the seventh inning in Monday’s ALCS opener.
Rasmussen made 23 of his 30 regular-season starts with at least five days of rest. Only seven came on four days, making Sunday’s potential Game 5 a more familiar setup for the Rays’ most dependable postseason innings source.
If Tampa Bay survives Game 4, Rasmussen would pitch the second game in a possible run of four straight days. The Game 6 and Game 7 dates were not moved: Monday and Tuesday nights at Tropicana Field, if necessary.
Freddy Peralta, the hot right-hander, is positioned for Game 6 should the Rays get the series back to St. Petersburg. But a Game 4 loss would put Tampa Bay one defeat from elimination, likely turning Game 5 into an all-hands bullpen situation around Rasmussen.
President of baseball operations Erik Neander said consecutive games are not a concern for a club that has played only six times in nearly three weeks since its regular-season finale in Philadelphia on Sept. 27. He said the Rays welcome the chance to get back into a more normal rhythm, but stressed that it starts with a strong showing Saturday.
For now, the ball belongs to Martinez. The rain bought Tampa Bay a day, but it did not persuade the Rays to alter the pitcher they want setting the tone in Cleveland.
