First pitch at the Trop is 3:10 PM ET, and the marquee says Reid Detmers vs. Drew Rasmussen — a matchup that on paper should be one of the better pitching duels on the Saturday slate. Detmers is 1-5 with a 4.57 ERA that doesn't tell the whole story; Rasmussen is the steadier name at 4-1, 2.78.
Detmers walks in off the best start of his career: 8 innings, 1 hit, 1 earned run, 0 walks, 14 strikeouts against Texas on May 24. That tied him with Nolan Ryan as the only Angels pitchers to punch out 14 while allowing one hit or fewer, and Ryan did two of his three in actual no-hitters. So yeah, the lefty is locked in. Rasmussen's last outing wasn't bad either — 7 innings of shutout ball at Yankee Stadium against a team he's owned his whole career.
The Rays come in at 35-19 and still own one of the best records in the American League, but they just dropped four in a row before bouncing the Angels 8-5 on Friday. That win matters because the Angels had taken 3 of 4 from Detroit before getting here and were threatening to make this an actual series. Tampa needed it.
The IL situations on both sides are not a footnote. The Angels are without Nolan Schanuel, Yoan Moncada, Travis d'Arnaud, Anthony Rendon and Yusei Kikuchi — that's basically a full position-player core plus a rotation arm. Tampa's outfield has been gutted too, with Jonny DeLuca and Jake Fraley both looking at 6-to-8 week absences, and Taylor Walls and Ben Williamson are day-to-day with the latter getting hand X-rays after Friday.
- 10-Day-ILNolan Schanuel 1B — An MRI on Schanuel's left ankle revealed tendinitis, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILYoan Moncada 3B — Moncada isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Athletics, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILTravis d'Arnaud C — D'Arnaud (foot) told reporters Saturday that he does not have a timetable for his return from the 10-day injured list, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILBen Joyce RP — Manager Kurt Suzuki said Tuesday that Joyce (shoulder) has resumed his throwing program in Arizona, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi SP — Kikuchi (shoulder) said Wednesday that he's slated to begin a throwing program soon and expressed hope that he'll be able to return to the Angels early in the second half of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRobert Stephenson RP — The Angels announced that Stephenson underwent ligament and flexor repair surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and is likely to miss the remainder of the season, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILAnthony Rendon 3B — The Angels placed Rendon (hip) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.
- Day-To-DayBen Williamson 2B — X-rays on Williamson's left hand came back negative following his removal from Friday's game against the Angels, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- Day-To-DayTaylor Walls SS — Walls (hamstring) remains out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Angels.
- Day-To-DayGriffin Jax RP — Jax was diagnosed with a back contusion following his removal from Tuesday's game against Baltimore, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- Day-To-DayAustin Vernon RP — The Rays have shut Vernon down from throwing due to right elbow soreness, per MLB.com.
- Day-To-DayKeyshawn Askew RP — no
- Day-To-DayTre' Morgan 1B — Triple-A Durham placed Morgan on the 7-day injured list with a quad injury, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.
- Day-To-DayAlfredo Zarraga RP — no
- 10-Day-ILJonny DeLuca RF — DeLuca is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks after an MRI revealed a Grade 1 right hamstring strain, Ryan Bass of Rays.tv reports.
The market has Tampa at -151 on the moneyline with Pinnacle and -173 at DraftKings, which is a chunky gap and explains why the small edge sits on the Angels side at +136/+143. Total is 7.5 with the under getting most of the money. Detmers throwing 96 pitches last time means he's good to go full tilt, and if he's anywhere near his Texas form, the under is the bet you stare at the longest.
Rays should still win this game. They're the better team, they're at home, and their bullpen — depleted as it is — is still deeper than what the Angels can run out. But Detmers is the kind of starter who can flatten any lineup for 7 innings on the right day, and Tampa just spent a week reminding everyone they can lose four straight. Worth a watch.