Cleveland Guardians at Tampa Bay Rays

Drew Rasmussen gave up a hit to the first Guardians batter he faced Sunday at Tropicana Field. From there, his day on the mound couldn’t have been smoother. Or quicker. Rasmussen made short work of Cleveland’s lineup through seven innings on just 87 pitches as Tampa Bay triumphed, 1-0, in just 1 hour, 58 minutes to complete a three-game sweep. “Just a well-executed, masterful performance,” manager Kevin Cash said of his two-time All-Star right-hander. “He's a dawg,” outfielder Chandler Simpson added. “Every time he goes out there, we know it's going to be a good showing.” Rasmussen didn’t allow a hit after Steven Kwan’s leadoff double and permitted only two baserunners on a walk and a hit-by-pitch afterward. He retired the final 12 batters he faced. He allowed just one hard-hit ball. En route to nine strikeouts, Rasmussen induced 18 whiffs, the most from any Rays pitcher this season, trailing only his 20 swings-and-misses against the Red Sox on June 10. “\[Catcher Nick Fortes\