The Tampa Bay Rays will send right-hander Nick Martinez to the mound for Game 1 of the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, manager Kevin Cash announced, bypassing ace Drew Rasmussen to manage the pitcher’s heavy postseason workload.
Kevin Cash Explains the Decision to Skip Drew Rasmussen
Rasmussen would have pitched on a regular four-day rest schedule for Friday’s opener after starting Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday against the Cleveland Guardians. Instead, Cash and the Rays coaching staff chose to give the right-hander an extra day of recovery following a demanding October stretch.
Rasmussen has thrown at least six innings in every postseason start this year, compiling a 21-inning stretch while allowing just three runs. “He’s had a pretty thick workload here,” Cash said, according to ESPN. “We have misited on him heavily. We know that when he has the ball, we attempt to have the maximum of lancers from his part.”
By shifting the rotation, the Rays aim to secure a full-pitch allotment from Rasmussen later in the series while keeping his arm fresh.
Nick Martinez Steps Into the Opener Role on Five Days of Rest
Martinez, 36, will make his first career World Series start operating on five days of rest. He previously locked down the Guardians in Game 5 of the ALCS, surrendering only one run on two hits across five and one-third innings.
The veteran right-hander signed a one-year, $13 million contract with Tampa Bay shortly before spring training and put together a career-best regular season, tossing 180 innings with a 3.10 ERA and earning his first All-Star selection. “It’s exciting,” Martinez said of receiving the Game 1 nod. “I think that as a team, we are confident no matter who is on the mound. It fell on me and my job is to accumulate the most outs possible to keep us in the game.”
Martinez enters the assignment facing Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski in a clash between two franchises operating at the lower end of Major League Baseball payrolls, with Milwaukee ranking 19th and Tampa Bay ranking 28th in spending.
World Series Opener Airs Friday on RDS
The World Series opener is scheduled for Friday at 7:30 p.m. Local time. RDS and RDS.ca will provide coverage in Canada, with the broadcast unscrambled for subscribers on RDS and RDS2.
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