Fear the beard: Kittredge keeps dominating

BOSTON -- On Aug. 11, 2020, Andrew Kittredge walked off the mound at Fenway Park uncertain what his future might hold. Opening for the Rays a day after recording his first Major League save, Kittredge sustained a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, an injury that often requires Tommy John surgery.

That day came to mind when the Rays returned to Fenway Park on Tuesday. He reminded his wife Wednesday morning that it took place exactly a year ago. Otherwise, Kittredge said, he hasn’t thought much about it. As dominant as the All-Star reliever has been this season, it feels like a distant memory.

“I'm always trying to get better. I think at this point in my career, I'm having a good year, but I'm building off a lot of the things that I had kind of gotten to last year before getting hurt,” Kittredge said. “As far as how I feel and how my approach is and my mindset and the way that I'm going about pitching, I'm very, very proud of where I've come from and gotten to. Hopefully, just keep it going and hopefully keep getting good results.

Kittredge opted for rest and rehab and wound up avoiding surgery on his elbow. He returned to the Rays, made the Opening Day bullpen and emerged as one of their most valuable players this season -- the stable presence in a bullpen depleted all year by injuries. He proved it again Tuesday night, striking out five over two scoreless innings as the Rays came back to beat the Red Sox, 8-4.

“He’s pretty special,” manager Kevin Cash said on Tuesday night. “He’s been so special to us all season long.”

The numbers back that up, as Kittredge is 8-1 with a 1.33 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP and 58 strikeouts in 54 innings over 41 appearances. The stoic, big-bearded 31-year-old has pitched in every inning from the first through the 11th, getting the Rays out of jams and often working multiple high-leverage frames.

“When you talk about a staple in our bullpen, he's been that presence that hasn't wavered. And hopefully that stays that way,” catcher Mike Zunino said. “When he comes in the game, we're in a good spot.”

Being available to pitch whenever he’s needed is a point of pride for Kittredge, especially coming back from an injury. This time a year ago, Kittredge admitted, he wasn’t sure if he’d pitch at all this year.

It made sense to put off surgery then, given the timing of his injury, but he had his doubts as to whether the rehab plan would work out. The process went about as smoothly as possible -- no setbacks, no slowdowns, just a lot of hard work toward a healthy, successful return. By the time Kittredge threw his final bullpen session of the offseason at Tropicana Field in December, he said, he felt back to normal.

“Once I got off the mound and felt good, I was just good to go,” Kittredge said.

Kittredge’s stuff has gotten even better since he came back, in fact, a product of age and experience along with some mechanical tweaks he made during the rehab process. His fastball velocity has ticked up, and his slider seems even harder for opponents to square up. On Tuesday, for instance, the Red Sox swung at 11 of the 16 sliders he threw and whiffed on seven of those swings.

“When he came off the field last night, I went out on the field and I said, 'That's why you're an All Star,’” center fielder Kevin Kiermaier said on Wednesday. “I think he's just pitching with as much confidence as he ever has before. The results are there, time and time again.”

Rasmussen ready to start

Starting games is nothing new for right-hander Drew Rasmussen. He served as the Rays’ opener on June 30 in Washington and July 24 in Cleveland. He started in college and in the Minor Leagues until the Brewers moved him to the bullpen out of necessity.

So Rasmussen isn’t too worried about starting Thursday’s series finale against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, the result of left-hander Ryan Yarbrough going on the COVID-19-related injured list on Tuesday and lefty Josh Fleming being bumped up to start Wednesday. He’s handled the routine before, and his mindset on the mound won’t change.

“I need the mental sharpness. I need the edge. I need the intensity,” Rasmussen said on Wednesday. “So you're going to get the same thing out of me in the first and second inning as you would if it were the sixth, seventh or eighth.”

Rasmussen pitched three innings in Cleveland, and he threw a season-high 53 pitches in Baltimore last Friday. Cash said the Rays will approach Rasmussen’s workload on an inning-by-inning basis, hoping to have him get through Boston’s lineup one time before turning it over to the bullpen.

“Everyone does their job really well down there, and the bullpen is something special here,” Rasmussen said. “If I can give those guys a couple innings of relief and a chance to catch their breath for a day, that'd be awesome.”