How Aaron Civale has done for the Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays needed another arm to back up their beat-up starting rotation. Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, and Jeffrey Springs will not play until next season at least due to UCL injuries.

The Rays made their big move which surrounded then Cleveland Guardians pitcher Aaron Civale. The Guardians sent the right-hander to Tampa Bay in exchange for the first baseman prospect Kyle Manzardo. He is ranked 62nd in the MLB pipeline.

So, just how good has Civale been this season? His debut came on Aug. 5 against the Detroit Tigers. He was handed a loss as it was not the greatest of debuts for starting pitchers. He finished by giving up nine hits in 4-1/3 innings pitched while also giving up three earned runs to Detroit. 

Despite a rocky debut, Civale has made four more starts since then and they have shown a lot of promise in his game. He has gone at least five innings in each of his starts.

As time has progressed, he has begun to pick up the strikeout total as well. In his last three starts, he has combined for 19 strikeouts which includes a staggering 9 strikeouts against the Colorado Rockies in a 6-5 win for the Rays.

Overall, Civale has built up a 3.55 ERA since being in St. Pete. This is just a tad higher than Tyler Glasnow and Zach Eflin meaning he is finding a groove within the Rays rotation.

Civale has become a good arm to have on the roster with the Rays. Now that they are within striking distance of the Baltimore Orioles for first in the division. He makes their group of starters even better come postseason baseball.

Civale is scheduled to start on Sunday, Sept. 3 in Progressive Field against the Guardians. It will be the first time he will return to his former team's ballpark since being traded to Tampa Bay.