Griffin Jax, red-hot Rays strive to fluster Mariners

Perhaps the most frustrating thing for opponents of the Tampa Bay Rays is this: They can beat you at your own game.

The Seattle Mariners are built on starting pitching and the long ball.

Yet it was the Rays who got the better of the Mariners in both instances in the series opener on Friday night, with seven shutout innings from All-Star Drew Rasmussen and a pair of solo homers in a 2-1 victory. The three-game set continues on Saturday in Seattle.

"You go into these games with that type of pitcher (Seattle's Logan Gilbert) and our pitcher, assuming it's going to be pretty low scoring," Rays manager Kevin Cash said, "so you scratch and claw whatever you can get and I'm glad we got two solo homers."

Jonny DeLuca and Jonathan Aranda went deep for the American League East-leading Rays, who have won 13 of their past 17 games.

The Rays rank 28th out of 30 MLB teams by scoring just 35.0% of their runs via homers, according to Screwball.com, with the Mariners topping that chart at 50.3%.

The Mariners avoided their third shutout loss in four games as Julio Rodriguez went deep with two outs in the ninth inning against Rays closer Bryan Baker. Baker, however, caught Josh Naylor looking at a called third strike for the final out for his MLB-leading 33rd save of the season.

After watching their team get just three singles in addition to Rodriguez's homer, fans booed as the Mariners left the field.

"The fans here have been supportive, no doubt, and we want to get that offense rolling as much as they do," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. "And it will, and we know when it does, they'll be behind us."

Rasmussen, who was born in nearby Puyallup, Wash., allowed two hits, struck out eight and retired the final 16 batters he faced.

"Really incredible. I know he gets dialed up a little extra to come back to his hometown area. But I'm pumped for him. He had to be as spot on as he was because we know Gilbert is so challenging," Cash said. "Two really good pitchers going toe to toe, couldn't be more impressive with him. ... I don't think the command of the fastball was where he wanted to be in the first, second innings, but then, we've seen him do this multiple times this year where he gets super-efficient and finds the ability to throw strikes and control the count."

Rasmussen graduated from Mt. Spokane High School in the eastern part of the state, which has been ravaged by wildfires this month. There was even a smoky haze over T-Mobile Park on Friday from the blazes, which have forced nearly 70,000 residents to evacuate and destroyed nearly 1,000 buildings.

"It's heartbreaking to watch from afar," Rasmussen told MLB.com earlier in the week.

Saturday's game is scheduled to feature a pair of right-handers in the Rays' Griffin Jax (6-9, 3.63 ERA) and the Mariners' George Kirby (8-9, 3.76).

Jax has allowed just one earned run in each of his past three starts, though he's lost the past two.

On Sunday against the visiting Chicago White Sox, Jax went five innings and gave up three total runs on four hits with no walks and eight strikeouts yet lost 9-1. He is 3-2 with a 6.23 ERA in 16 career appearances against Seattle, though just one of those has been a start. That came July 11 in St. Petersburg, Fla., when he went five innings in a 6-1 victory, giving up one run on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

Kirby pitched seven scoreless innings Sunday against visiting Minnesota but didn't get a decision as the Mariners blew a six-run lead before prevailing 7-6 in a walk-off win. He's 2-1 with a 4.61 ERA in five previous starts against the Rays.

--Field Level Media