Wednesday, 4 a.m.
Suddenly, there is compeition for the ace of the Tampa Bay Rays' pitching rotation.
Steven Matz? Nick Martinez?
Which newcomer do you like better?
Martinez was superb in a 1-0 victory over Cleveland, the team's sixth straight victory. Martinez threw seven shutout innings and allowed just three hits in his second win of the season at Progressive Field. Martinez now has a 1.70 ERA.
One day earlier, Matz had thrown seven innings and allowed four hits in a 3-2 victory for his fourth win of the year. Matz has a 4.31 ERA.
The game's only run came in the fifth inning when Jonathan Aranda drove home Taylor Walls. The Rays had only four other hits, but pitching won the day for the Rays.
The Guardians loaded the bases in the eighth, but Kevin Kelly retired Jose Ramirez on a deep fly to center.
Tanner Bibee took the loss to drop him to 0-4 on the year.
The Rays and Guardians close out their series today at Progressive at 1:10 pm. Drew Rasmussen will start for the Rays against Gavin Williams.