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Through 27 games, the Rays still haven't executed this ordinary feat

ByMason Stacy|
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Apr 12, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen (57) walks off the field after pitching against the New York Yankees in the third inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Apr 12, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen (57) walks off the field after pitching against the New York Yankees in the third inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Rays have had an incredible start to the 2026 season as they have a 16-11 record which is currently second best in the American League and seventh best in the majors. However, it's been an odd season in Tampa Bay as they have yet to execute this rather mundane feat that is normally performed more frequently throughout their franchise's history.

Rays have yet to execute a shutout through their first nine series of the 2026 season

The Rays' lackluster bullpen may be the reason for this, but regardless, it isn't the end of the world. It is pretty strange though as fans are certainly used to their club getting at least a few shutouts at this point in the season.

In 2025, It only took five games for Rays' pitching to pick up their first shutout. They defeated the Pirates 7-0 as former starter Shane Baz tossed six innings, allowing no runs on seven hits with 10 punchouts.

Their second shutout of the 2025 season came much later on April 25th, but still a day prior to today's date. The Rays defeated the Padres 1-0 in that particular game as Shane Baz once again threw an absolute gem. The Rays would go on to pick up nine more shutouts throughout the season despite their 77-85 record.

In the Rays' 99-win 2023 season, they received their first shutout on Opening Day when Shane McClanahan threw six scoreless and the bullpen finished the job. The Rays would also execute three shutouts in a row from April 8-10 which was part of the magical 13-0 run to start that campaign.

So, is the lack of shutouts in 2026 a major problem? Probably not, especially considering the performance of the Rays' offense so far. They're currently averaging about five runs per game, so shutouts aren't exactly necessary if they continue to find ways to win ballgames.

Also, the Rays have had their opportunities to shut teams out as their starting pitching has given up zero runs on three separate occasions. In fact, in the second game of this past series against the Twins, McClanahan tossed five scoreless innings. Minnesota didn't score until the top of the ninth when Royce Lewis hit an RBI single off of rookie reliever Trevor Martin. Therefore, we definitely foresee some shutouts in the future, but for now, we can relish in our hopeful Wild Card positioning.

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