Could Pitching Duel Decide Phillies vs. Rays Showdown?

The Rays are in one of the best divisions in baseball with five teams that could have a chance to make the playoffs. As we saw last year, the five teams all kind of beat the hell out of each other and only two made the postseason (Yankees and Orioles). Wins gains non-AL East opponents are really important for this team because they need to get as many wins from outside of the division as possible. The Rays are just 16-18 for the year but they seem like they might be better than their record shows. The team is hitting .245 with 131 runs scored, and the team ERA is at 3.56 while the WHIP is even more impressive at 1.18. One of the big contributor to those pitching numbers is today’s starter, Drew Rasmussen. Rasmussen is 1-2 with a 2.64 ERA and a very strong 0.98 WHIP. They seem a little cautious with him as they have only let him go five innings in almost every start. His pitch count should indicate at least one more inning of work is possible, but the Rays trust their bullpen I guess. He is coming off of his two worst starts of the year, he allowed three earned runs in one and four in the other, but went five innings in both games. Phillies hitters are 8-for-27 against Rasmussen, but only one of those hits was for extra bases. 

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