Cleavinger's quick move from mop-up arm to 'big part of our bullpen'

ST. PETERSBURG -- It took only six weeks for Garrett Cleavinger to go from pitching a pair of mop-up innings at Fenway Park on his first day in the Rays’ bullpen to taking the ball with Tampa Bay’s season on the line in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series in Cleveland.

“Came at you fast,” Cleavinger said with a grin, “for sure.”

Acquired from the Dodgers on Aug. 1, 2022, Cleavinger reported to Triple-A Durham, joined the Rays on Aug. 27, then quickly earned the club’s trust. After he pitched a scoreless inning in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, the left-hander’s final appearance of the year came in perhaps the most pressure-packed situation imaginable.

Manager Kevin Cash summoned Cleavinger from the bullpen with two outs in the ninth inning of a scoreless Game 2 -- which the Rays eventually lost on a walk-off homer in the 15th -- and Cleavinger responded by striking out all four batters he faced to keep Tampa Bay’s hopes alive.

“He showed that faith in me to put me in that spot, and it was pretty wild,” Cleavinger said after pitching a scoreless inning in the Rays’ 1-0 win over the Blue Jays on Sunday at Tropicana Field. “But it was fun. It was a lot of fun.”

There will likely be plenty more fun, high-leverage moments in store for the 28-year-old this season, as Cleavinger is one of three lefties expected to crack the Rays’ Opening Day roster out of the bullpen.

“I think we saw the best version of him last year, and hopefully that carried over to the offseason into spring,” Cash said. “He is one of those guys that, [when] you sit behind home plate for live BPs, it does not look fun to hit. … Big, big part of our bullpen.”

Cleavinger pitched well for the Dodgers in 2021, but he never secured a role in their bullpen. Now, he looks like the Rays’ latest pitching success story. It’s a familiar refrain, too.

The lefty has always had excellent stuff, with a 96 mph fastball and wipeout slider, but he struggled with command. So the Rays offered him simple but effective advice: Trust your stuff and throw it over the plate.

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Cleavinger did just that, throwing a career-high 53.3 percent of his pitches in the zone last September, and his confidence soared as he struck out 25 batters and walked only four while posting a 2.41 ERA in 13 regular-season appearances for the Rays.

“They keep things really, really simple. That's the beauty of it. That makes our job a little bit easier,” Cleavinger said. “You go out there and fill up the strike zone. And we all know that we have good stuff, so we can feel comfortable going in and doing that.”

Linares back from Classic

Rays bench coach Rodney Linares was back in camp on Sunday after serving as manager of the Dominican Republic’s team in the World Baseball Classic.

Linares’ Dominican squad was eliminated after losing to Puerto Rico in the final game of pool play. The surprisingly early exit for one of the favorites entering the tournament subjected Linares to a lot of scrutiny, but he was able to separate that disappointment and frustration from the overall experience, which he called “unbelievable.”

“The results weren’t there, but we played the guys we thought we needed to play. It just didn’t work out,” Linares said. “It was a really good experience, and I would probably do it again if asked.

“We had every opportunity to win every game that we played. We were in good position. We just didn’t execute. … I can go back home with my head high and knowing that I did what I thought was the best for the team.”

Around the horn

• Drew Rasmussen put together an efficient start on Sunday against a Toronto lineup featuring most of its regulars. The right-hander needed only 56 pitches to get through five innings, allowing two hits and striking out two.

• Luke Raley’s impressive camp continued on Sunday with a pair of hard-hit balls off Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah. Raley laced a 109.2 mph single in the second inning and a 105.3 mph double in the fourth, bumping his average to .313 (10-for-32) this spring.

• Delayed by an oblique injury at the start of camp, infielder Taylor Walls turned a couple of slick plays at third base against the Red Sox on Saturday, his first action in the field this spring. Walls said Sunday morning that he feels “great” and, barring any setbacks, he expects to be ready for Opening Day.