Rays' pitchers enter playoffs with valuable experience

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CLEVELAND -- In last year’s American League Division Series, the Rays opted for talent over experience in their postseason rotation. They started Shane McClanahan in Game 1, Shane Baz in Game 2 and Drew Rasmussen in Game 3 before a whole-staff night in the decisive Game 4.

That made the Rays the second team in postseason history, joining the 2012 A’s, to start a pair of rookies in the first two games of a series. Combined, the trio had made 36 big league starts at that point and possessed five relief appearances’ worth of postseason experience.

However the Rays decide to use their starters in the AL Wild Card Series and potentially beyond, one thing is clear. Tampa Bay’s starting staff still has plenty of talent -- and now, the rotation has a little more experience to go along with it.

“I think having more experience and more time in the big leagues, just in general, is really going to help us all,” Rasmussen said.

The Rays haven’t revealed their plans past starting McClanahan on Friday in Game 1 against the Guardians and Tyler Glasnow on Saturday in Game 2 at Progressive Field. Their other traditional starting options include Jeffrey Springs, Rasmussen and Corey Kluber. If the Rays advance into longer series in the ALDS or AL Championship Series, they all could play a big part.

That depth is enviable, but what could make the Rays a dangerous opponent in October is the one-two punch of McClanahan and Glasnow. Beyond their obvious talent, both have pitched on big stages before.

• Postseason ticket information

McClanahan debuted in the 2020 postseason and last year experienced both success (ALDS Game 1) and failure (his relief outing in Game 4) in critical October games. Glasnow garnered valuable big-game experience during the Rays’ postseason appearances in 2019 and especially ’20.

“I think it helps. I wouldn't say we're seasoned by any means. They're still really young pitchers,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Glasnow has kind of been there, done that, so [I'm] excited to be able to pencil him in. And I think Mac threw awesome in Game 1 last year. We asked a lot of him in Game 4, didn't go our way, but I think he took all that in and learned from that experience.”

They’ve all grown this season, too. McClanahan had his struggles in the second half, but he still posted a 2.54 ERA with 194 strikeouts in 28 starts. Glasnow’s stuff was as elite as ever, pitching coach Kyle Snyder said, in his second start back from Tommy John surgery.

“I mean, I didn't even have a full season last year. This is my first full season. So personally, it was definitely new to me, experiencing everything on the fly and everything like that,” McClanahan said. “Having Glas back, it's amazing. The guy is a horse. The guy goes out there and gets outs and competes.”

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Rasmussen thrived throughout his first full Major League season as a starter, with a 2.84 ERA in 28 starts. Springs made his own transition from the bullpen look easy, logging a 2.46 ERA over a career-high 135 1/3 innings.

“I don't think the lights will be too bright, the noise will be too loud,” Rasmussen said of Springs, who has yet to pitch in the playoffs. “I think he'll be just fine and be able to work and navigate himself pitch by pitch once he gets there.”

McClanahan and Rasmussen both credited Kluber for playing a part in their maturation, as others have all season. McClanahan called the veteran a “tremendous help for all of us young guys,” to say nothing of the way he pitched while making a team-leading 31 starts.

“We see the veteran leadership, the determination, his competitiveness and his professionalism, utmost and foremost,” McClanahan said. “Being around that every day, it's really made an impact on a lot of us.”