Drew Rasmussen (4-2, 3.36) gets the ball for the Rays against Marlins right-hander Ryan Gusto, who's making his second appearance of the year after getting called up from Triple-A Jacksonville earlier this week. First pitch at loanDepot park is set for 7:10 PM ET.
The Rays are limping into this one. Tampa just got swept at home by the Tigers and outscored 25-7 across three games, capping a 1-4 stretch that's seen the AL East leaders look nothing like the team that built a 36-23 record. Rasmussen wasn't immune either — his last outing against the Angels was a 4-inning, 5-earned-run clunker that got him yanked at 70 pitches.
Miami, meanwhile, just swept the Nationals in D.C. behind a Max Meyer gem and a Sandy Alcantara start, dragging themselves back to within shouting distance at 29-34. The catch: Gusto is the guy taking the ball tonight, and he's only on the mound because the Marlins rotation is held together with tape. Eury Perez, Janson Junk, Robby Snelling, and Adam Mazur are all on the IL. Gusto surrendered 3 runs in 2 innings of relief Tuesday and now gets stretched out against a lineup that, even slumping, ranks among the league's better offenses.
- Day-To-DayTaylor Walls SS — Walls (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers, 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-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.
- 10-Day-ILJake Fraley RF — Rays manager Kevin Cash said Monday that Fraley (hernia) will require surgery and will face a recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILJonathan Heasley RP — Heasley cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Durham on Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILCraig Kimbrel RP — The Rays placed Kimbrel on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to a right wrist strain.
- Day-To-DayKemp Alderman RF — Triple-A Jacksonville placed Alderman on the 7-day injured list Tuesday due to a left wrist injury, Michael Germanese of Roundtable.io reports.
- Day-To-DayThomas White SP — Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said Sunday that White is recovering from "a bit of a shoulder thing," Kyle Sielaff of Marlins.tv reports.
- 15-Day-ILJosh Ekness RP — Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Monday that Ekness is expected to miss approximately six weeks due to a right calf strain, Kyle Sielaff of Marlins.tv reports.
- 15-Day-ILJanson Junk SP — The Marlins placed Junk on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to right shin bone inflammation, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILEury Perez SP — The Marlins placed Perez on the 15-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Thursday, due to a right gracilis strain.
- 60-Day-ILGriffin Conine LF — Conine (hamstring) appears to be a week or two away from beginning a rehab assignment, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
- 60-Day-ILAndrew Nardi RP — The Marlins transferred Nardi (ribcage) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
- 60-Day-ILRobby Snelling SP — Snelling underwent internal brace surgery Friday to repair a torn UCL in his left elbow.
The Rays' bullpen is the part nobody's talking about enough. Craig Kimbrel is on the 15-day IL with a wrist strain, Jesse Scholtens went down after blowing a save in extras, and Manuel Rodriguez, Steven Wilson, Edwin Uceta, and Michael Grove are all parked on the 60-day. That's a lot of arms missing for a team that was already leaning on its pen to cover starter innings. Add Jonny DeLuca (hamstring) and Jake Fraley (hernia surgery) to the outfield casualty list and Kevin Cash is duct-taping lineups together.
On paper Tampa is still the better team, and a bounce-back spot against a 9.00-ERA opener on the mound is about as inviting as it gets. But the Rays have lost four in a row and the Marlins are playing their best baseball of the season. If Rasmussen settles in early, this gets ugly fast. If he doesn't, Miami might just have something cooking.