Eovaldi relishes start in Game 3

There aren’t many secrets between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox.

It’s why managers Kevin Cash and Alex Cora have no problem sending out pitchers for their pivotal Game 3 AL Division Series matchup Sunday who have vastly different experiences on big stages.

Boston’s going with righthander Nathan Eovaldi, who has been on the mound in some of the franchise’s biggest Game 3s in recent memory.

During the club’s 2018 World Series run, he shut down the rival Yankees in Game 3 of their ALDS, giving up one run over seven innings of a 16-1 romp. In the AL Championship Series, he did it to Houston, yielding two runs over six innings in an 8-2 victory.

Then, of course, there was Game 3 of that World Series, when Eovaldi took over in the 12th inning and battled until the 18th, when the Dodgers’ Max Muncy finally tagged him for a walk-off homer.

“I love it,” said Eovaldi, who is 2-1 with a 1.63 ERA in seven postseason appearances, including three starts. “I love pitching in these moments and against teams like the Rays. It’s going to be a challenge. It’s going to be fun.”

The Rays will go with righthander Drew Rasmussen, whose only previous postseason appearance was last season when he was with Milwaukee. He pitched one inning in the Brewers’ NL wild-card loss to the Dodgers.

Acquired in exchange for popular shortstop Willy Adames in May, Rasmussen is embracing the chance to go from pitching in last season’s fan-less stadiums to being under the lights at Fenway Park.

“I know the feel of the postseason, it will probably be a little bit more adrenaline than there normally is,” Rasmussen said. “But just going to try to look to minimize that to the best of my ability and actually use it to my advantage more than anything.”

White Sox go with Cease

The Chicago White Sox will start Dylan Cease in Game 3 against the Houston Astros on Sunday, hoping he can help the AL Central champions avoid a sweep.

Manager Tony La Russa said the 25-year-old right-hander will get the ball when the series shifts to Chicago. Cease tied Carlos Rodón for the team lead in wins while going 13-7 with a 3.91 ERA in 32 starts.

La Russa also said Rodón might pitch a potential Game 4 on Monday after being limited down the regular-season stretch because of shoulder soreness and fatigue.