Manuel

Rodriguez

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.

Rodríguez was called on to close out the game with a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning. He tossed a clean frame, striking out the final batter for his first save of the season. With Pete Fairbanks on the injured list, Rodríguez could figure into the ninth-inning mix alongside Edwin Uceta, who had pitched in three of the last four days coming into Wednesday’s contest.

Rodríguez has been summoned to rejoin Tampa Bay’s bullpen after veteran reliever Phil Maton was dealt to the Mets ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Yankees. The 27-year-old righty has pitched well in nine relief appearances this season for the Rays with a with a 2.79 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 9/4 K/BB ratio across 9 2/3 innings of work. He figures to operate in middle relief situations moving forward.

Rodríguez posted a 2.79 ERA with nine strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings this season but will be sent down to the minors to make room for Richard Lovelady. Rodríguez will likely be back up in the near future.

Pepiot took a liner off his leg on a ball that was hit 107 mph. The right-hander threw after and tried to stay in, but Rays manager Kevin Cash wouldn’t allow it. Pepiot will likely undergo imaging, and his status for his start next week should be updated shortly after. Manuel Rodriguez has taken over on the mound.

The 27-year-old hurler will take the place of the injured Colin Poche (back) in the Rays’ bullpen. Rodríguez was off to a nice start at Triple-A Durham, posting a 1.08 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a sparkling 13/2 K/BB ratio over 8 1/3 innings in his eight appearances. It’s possible that he could work his way into a high-leverage role if he performs well, as both Poche and Pete Fairbanks are currently stationed on the injured list.

Rodríguez will begin the 2024 season at the Triple-A level despite having an impressive spring camp. The 27-year-old posted a 0.90 ERA with a 16/2 K/BB ratio across 10 innings. The Rays acquired Rodríguez in a trade with the Cubs last August that sent Adrian Sampson to Chicago. He should continue to have success in the minors after he had a 3.99 ERA with a 80/26 K/BB ratio across 56 1/3 innings pitched last season.

Rodríguez has an option year left and others don’t, so the right-hander is still not a lock to claim a spot in the Rays’ pen. However, the former Cub would seem to deserve one with his 0.90 ERA and 16/2 K/BB in 10 innings this spring.

The Rays never called Rodríguez up after acquiring him from the Cubs last summer, but he was sufficiently impressive in Triple-A to get added to the 40-man roster in November. He’s in the mix for a bullpen spot this spring, though that he has an option year left works against him. Still, he helped the cause today, touching 99 mph with his sinker and getting five whiffs in the 20-pitch inning.

The 26-year-old hurler was acquired from the Cubs at the trade deadline, but he never appeared in a big league game with the Rays. He’s got a live arm though and could wind up being a major weapon out of the Rays’ bullpen during the 2024 campaign. He’s now safe from being plucked in the Rule 5 draft.