Contrasting styles match up perfectly for Rays

ST. PETERSBURG -- Coming off an abbreviated Spring Training, the Rays understand they have to be careful with their starting pitchers early in the season. They haven’t fully built up their endurance to pitch deeper into games yet, so some workload management is necessary. That’s especially true for Drew Rasmussen, given a medical history that includes two Tommy John surgeries, after they eased him into the rotation down the stretch last year.

Fortunately, the Rays know what they’re getting every time Rasmussen steps on the mound. And they had an ideal piggyback partner in the bullpen behind Rasmussen: Josh Fleming. Rasmussen and Fleming combined to allow two runs while striking out eight over 7 1/3 innings in the Rays’ 5-3 win over the Orioles on Saturday afternoon at Tropicana Field, pushing Tampa Bay to a 2-0 start for only the fifth time in 25 seasons.

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“They know what they're doing,” catcher Francisco Mejía, who continued his clutch start to the season with an RBI single in the second inning and a two-run homer in the third, said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “One throws a little bit harder than the other, but they're out there doing what they need to do.”

What made Rasmussen and Fleming so effective appearing back-to-back? Consider the contrasting styles Mejía mentioned.

Rasmussen is a pure power right-hander, with a riding fastball that topped out at 97.2 mph. Fleming is more of a finesse lefty, featuring a sinker that tumbles to the bottom of the strike zone while maxing out at 93.1 mph. When both execute their game plans the way they did Saturday, it’s even tougher to touch them.

“We've got a lot of different arm angles with a lot of different stuff, so you're not going to see the same look,” Rasmussen said.

Saturday was Rasmussen’s 11th consecutive start allowing two runs or fewer, the longest active streak in the Majors, and both runs he permitted came on Ryan Mountcastle’s opposite-field homer in the third inning. He struck out three and worked through four innings on 64 pitches, but that was enough for his first start of the season.

Mindful of Rasmussen's prior injuries and recent experience as a reliever, the Rays limited him to five innings even at his most pitch-efficient last season. Rasmussen hopes to have the reins taken off at some point this year, but like Shane McClanahan on Opening Day, he understood the long-term logic behind his early exit.

“It's hard to complain, and I know my time to get stretched out is coming,” Rasmussen said. “There's no doubts, no fears of coming out of the game. You know whoever's coming in behind you is really good, and they're going to do their job at an elite level.”

That was an accurate description of Fleming’s long-relief performance. This was the role the Rays had in mind for Fleming when they put him on the Opening Day roster, as he’s a perfect piggyback partner for the two starters currently least equipped to work deep into outings: Rasmussen and right-hander Luis Patiño.

“We had a quick Spring Training, so [they're] just easing us into it,” Fleming said. “And we have what I think is the best bullpen in the league behind us.”

Fleming made the most of the role in his season debut, striking out five while allowing three singles over 3 1/3 innings. The uptick in strikeouts was notable for Fleming, who entered the day averaging 5.9 whiffs per nine innings in his first 33 Major League appearances. It could be the result of what he calls “The Chazzy,” a new sweeping breaking ball he throws with the same grip former Rays reliever Chaz Roe used on his wipeout slider.

Fleming was at his best in two other ways Saturday. He made an excellent snag and throw on a comebacker, starting a 1-6-3 double play to end the sixth inning. (“I take pride in it,” he said. “And I joke about it, but at the same time, I want the Gold Glove.”) And he worked quickly, as he typically does, zooming through his outing on only 38 pitches before J.P. Feyereisen and Andrew Kittredge recorded the final five outs.

“He was really good. Flem is so valuable to what we're doing here,” Cash said. “He does it as efficient as any pitcher, maybe, in baseball – and he's really good for baseball, too, in that he keeps the pace of game going very well.”

JLowe hits, runs hard
After putting together a couple of impressive at-bats on Opening Day, outfield prospect Josh Lowe went 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs on Saturday. He set up Mejía’s first RBI by ripping a 106.7 mph line drive into the right-center field gap, then hustling around the bases, with a maximum sprint speed of 28.9 feet per second, for a standup triple.

“All of his at-bats have been really impressive so far,” Cash said. “And watching him run is going to be a lot of fun when he hits balls in gaps, because he can really get going.”

And he can play defense, too?
The Rays made a bunch of sharp plays in the field behind Rasmussen and Fleming, perhaps none better than what Cash labeled a “tremendous” diving stop up the middle by shortstop Wander Franco to begin the second inning. Franco laid out to snag a hard-hit grounder by Ramon Urías, then made a quick throw to Ji-Man Choi for the out at first.

“Great play. We'll always take that, saving a single,” Rasmussen said. “You don't expect those plays to be made, but it is really nice when they are.”