Garrett

Cleavinger

Cleavinger’s save was just his sixth of the year. His last save came on September 3rd so this isn’t a regular occurrence for him, though the Rays don’t have a set closer at the moment. He struck out two in a perfect ninth inning and lowered his ERA to 3.41 on the season in the process.

Edwin Uceta started the ninth inning with the Rays up 2-1 and struck out two batters, but he also gave up two hits, so the Rays turned to Cleavinger to face left-hander Trevor Larnach. Even though the Twins then pinch-hit for Larnach, Cleavinger was able to get the final out and secure his fifth save of the season.

Cleavinger got the call to face his former team in extra innings with a two-run lead, and managed to work through the heart of Los Angeles’ lineup to preserve the victory, He got Shohei Ohtani to fly out before giving up a run-scoring sacrifice fly to Mookie Betts. He settled down immediately after to get Freddie Freeman to ground out to end the contest. It looks like the Rays went with purely a matchup decision here as Cleavinger faced a pair of left-handed batters after Manuel Rodríguez tossed a scoreless ninth inning in a tie ballgame. It’s likely Edwin Uceta was unavailable after recording four outs on 24 pitches during Thursday’s series opener.

Pete Fairbanks got the day off after pitching in two of the last three days. Cleavinger was summoned to close out Saturday’s game with a one-run lead against the Blue Jays. He struck out one batter in a clean frame on 14 pitches, earning his third save of the season.

It’s not yet clear how long the 30-year-old southpaw may be sidelined for. Manny Rodriguez was recalled from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move to take his place in the Rays’ bullpen. Poche’s absence could lead to additional save chances for Jason Adam and Garrett Cleavinger while Pete Fairbanks is also shelved.

Rays’ manager Kevin Cash turned to Jason Adam in the seventh inning of this one, and he got six outs to get the lead to the ninth. That’s when Cash turned to the 30-year-old southpaw to finish it out. He did allow a two-out walk to Jake Rogers to bring the tying run to the plate, but was able to get Riley Greene to fly out to center to end it. Expect Cleavinger, Adam and Colin Poche to continue to handle the late-inning work while Pete Fairbanks is shelved.

We know that Fairbanks battled Reynaud’s syndrome, which is a problem that causes decreased blood flow to the fingers and obviously impacts gripping a baseball. This may be what’s caused his early-season struggles as well. We have no indication of how long he’ll be on the IL, but the Rays will undoubtedly go to a committee in his absence that features Jason Adam, Garrett Cleavinger, and Colin Poche. All of them can be added in leagues if you need saves since they should also provide solid ratios even if they don’t get a bulk of the save opportunities. Kevin Kelly was called up in a corresponding move.

That explains why Fairbanks wasn’t called upon in the tenth inning to protect a two-run lead against the Bombers. Even without their stopper, the Rays were able to get the job done on Saturday, with Garrett Cleavinger working a scoreless frame to earn his first save of the season. Fairbanks is still the most likely hurler to accrue saves in the Rays’ bullpen, but they do have several other capable arms.

Cleavinger got the call to face the bottom of New York’s order in the 10th inning after Tampa Bay pulled ahead with a pair of runs earlier in the frame. His appearance came after Colin Poche, Phil Maton and Jason Adam tossed scoreless frames in regulation. He got Alex Verdugo and pinch-hitter Gleyber Torres to ground out before fanning Oswaldo Cabrera to end the contest.

The Rays were decimated by injuries during the 2023 season — especially in their starting rotation with McClanahan, Springs, Baz and Rasmussen all suffering major injuries. McClanahan underwent his Tommy John surgery in late August and is expected to miss the entire 2024 season while recovering.