Drew Rasmussen shines, Brandon Lowe provides the offense in Rays win

John Romano, Tampa Bay Times on May 23, 2025

Published in Baseball

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TAMPA. Fla. — This is what it was supposed to look like. This is the version of the Rays that could contend in September.

Not overpowering. Not terribly sexy. Just good starting pitching, excellent defense and enough versatility in the lineup to sneak past opponents with bigger payrolls and better name recognition.

The Rays beat the Blue Jays, 3-1, Friday night behind six shutout innings from Drew Rasmussen and home runs from Brandon Lowe and Curtis Mead before an announced sellout of 10,046 at Steinbrenner Field.

Tampa Bay has won four of its last six games.

Rasmussen, who continues his slow buildup from 2023 elbow surgery, has had four starts with five or more shutout innings this season. Tampa Bay starting pitchers have now averaged just under six innings per start with a 3.09 ERA since May 17.

Lowe, who has hits in nine of his last 10 games, put the Rays on top with a long home run to right field following a Junior Caminero walk in the third. Lowe is hitting .351 with four home runs since May 13.

Mead added his second homer of the year in the fourth.

The three runs turned out to be enough, although Tampa Bay’s bullpen made it interesting. Mason Montgomery walked the bases loaded to begin the seventh before Manny Rodriguez came in and got Jonatan Clase to hit into a run-scoring double play and Nathan Lukes flew out to center.

Edwin Uceta also yielded a pair of walks in the eighth before getting out of the inning.

Rasmussen cruised through the first four innings, getting an assist from his defense the first time the Blue Jays threatened.

Clase hit a one-out double in the third and Lukes followed with a ground ball through the infield. Clase held up at third base, but when left fielder Christopher Morel threw home, Lukes tried to advance to second. Catcher Danny Jansen fired a strike to cut down Lukes for the second out, and Bo Bichette ended the inning with a fly ball to right.

Rasmussen also got help in the fifth when Caminero gloved a 113-mph grounder from Bichette and turned it into an inning-ending double play. The Rays are now second in the majors with 57 double plays through 50 games.