Thursday 3 a.m.
For a guy who didn't feel quite right Wednesday night, Tyler Glasnow sure looked like he was in control.
Glasnow, who has been the ace the Rays hoped he would be this season, was on top of his game again in a 2-0 victory over the Oakland A's. Glasnow threw seven shutout innings and struck out 10 in the victory.
“I felt certain innings were better than others," Glasnow said. "I felt weirdly uncomfortable. I was able to go out and compete, but the previous game was better rhythmic-wise. When you don’t feel that good, you have to figure how to go out and execute. I sound like an idiot. I went seven scoreless. But I think it was a little weird timing-wise."
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It was the Rays' fourth shutout of the season, and third in which Glasnow has been the tarting pitcher. He has an ERA of 1.67 to go with his 3-1 record. Glasnow is now second in the American League in strikeouts, one behind Shane Bieber of Cleveland.
It was Glasnow's fourth start of six innings (or more) and one run (or fewer) this season.
"Any time they put pressure on him, he seemed to have the ability to make a big pitch," Rays' manager Kevin Cash said. "He recognizes that runs are at a premium. They’re not coming easy for us. I'm really appreciative of Tyler’s efforts to keep it in there and give our offense a little bit of time to give him some support."
For the Rays' offense, the big inning was the fifth. Mike Zunino hit a long home run off the C-ring, and Manuel Margot singled in a run to close out the scoring.
In the seventh inning, Kevin Kiermaier made a running catch in center field for the defensive play of the game.
“It’s unbelievable," Glasnow said. "My mother texted me and said ‘you’ve got to stop cussing on TV. Cover your mouth or something.’ That’s my only reaction. Something unbelievable. I look like I'm in shock every time. He's done that for me five, six times, more than that. Every time he does it is just as shocking."
Glasnow said he had a swear word or two left over on Zunino's homer.
"I would have liked to have seen where the ball would have gone had it not hit one of the rings," Cash said. "Because he got every bit of it. We know how strong Mike is and how much power he can create when he’s timed up."
The Rays pitching staff has allowed 3 runs (or fewer) in five consecutive games. They've allowed three runs or fewer in 11 of their last 18 games.
The Rays close out their series with Oakland today at Tropicana Field at 1:10 p.m. Shane McClanahan starts for the Rays. Chris Bassitt will start for Oakland.