Rays reportedly considering surprising World Series rotation shuffle fueled by road splits

The World Series is a day and a half away, and the Tampa Bay Rays continue to debate who their Game 1 starter will be. 

Per MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, while the default choice would be to have Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta pitch the first two games, Nick Martinez could logically be called upon instead. 

The logic here is that Nick Martinez is much better on the road, and the difference is pretty stark. He has a 2.38 road ERA compared to a 3.90 home ERA. They’d be in position to set the tone of the World Series early with this move. 

Knowing that Milwaukee’s Game 1 starter is Jacob Misiorowski, having Martinez pitch in his strongest split to go toe-to-toe with him is a gamble that could pay off. 

A caveat would be that he would then have to pitch at home later in the series. The Game 1 starter is usually the Game 5 starter. So, it comes down to whether they want Martinez to help them go up early or be available in the clutch later in the series. 

Another piece of the puzzle is that Rasmussen is someone who could also benefit from the extra rest. Rosenthal pointed out that the Rays made that decision when Game 4 was pushed back a day to give him the extra rest, and it worked out. 

It’s a strategy that could work. But there might be an ideal way to go about this. In this scenario, Rosenthal discusses - and it's likely fueled by the information he's been given - Martinez being the Game 1 or Game 3 starter. Being the Game 2 starter doesn't come up.

Here is a quick case for why that might actually be the way to go about it.

If Martinez pitches in Game 2. This allows the latter to pitch on the road twice. 

Peralta has dominated both at home and away for nearly two months. Having him be the Game 3 and Game 7 starter could be a strategy that works in the Rays’ favor. Rosenthal is also correct that having him pitch in his old home for Game 7 would be exciting. 

The same goes for Rasmussen, who only needs to get through two more starts. He could be the one to duel Misiorowski twice, both away and at home. If he pitches in Game 1 and Game 5, he could also potentially be available out of the bullpen for a Game 7. 

At that point, that’s all there would be left to play. There is no other start to rest for. After that, his next appearance is in spring training.

So, there is certainly a good compromise. This would be it. No, the Rays wouldn’t be, in theory, going to their two best starters to begin the World Series, but based on the splits, they would be maximizing the three best pitchers they have. 

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