The Tampa Bay Rays’ starting pitching depth has been tested right from the start of the 2026 MLB regular season.Ryan Pepiot, who made 31 starts for the team last season, won’t pitch at all this year due to injury. His replacement to start the season, Joe Boyle, made three starts before landing on the injured list himself.Steven Matz was part of the rotation to start, but injuries and ineffectiveness led to him going to the bullpen. Jesse Scholtens is on the injured list and has most recently been joined by Shane McClanahan and Griffin Jax.Despite the obstacles, the Rays have one of the best starting pitcher’s ERA’s in baseball and Ian Seymour has been a big reason why. He needed to put forth a strong effort in his most recent start against the Seattle Mariners because he followed an unexpected bullpen game with Jax being scratched with elbow discomfort.Ian Seymour dominated Mariners for Rays sweepAug 9, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ian Seymour (61) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Richard Dizon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectWhen the team needed him most, Seymour once again stepped up and answered the call. He threw six dominant innings, allowing a run on a Cole Young single in the first inning before firing five consecutive shutout frames.Only five hits and two walks were surrendered, while striking out seven. He racked up 16 whiffs, pushing his season-long percentage to 29.4%, which is in the 79th percentile. His 33.2% chase rate and 28.4% strikeout rate are also excellent, ranking in the 77th and 86th percentiles.Just as the case has been all season, Seymour was doing most of his damage with his changeup. As shared by Running From The OPS Substack, he generated a whiff rate of 50% against the Mariners and a chase rate of 52%.Ian Seymour collected seven more strikeouts yesterday against the Mariners. Over his 90.1 innings, the southpaw has 106 strikeouts while sporting a 33.2% Chase%, 29.4% Whiff%, and a 28.4% K%. Opponents are hitting just .159 on his changeup with a .188 wOBA and a 39.5% Whiff%. pic.twitter.com/X61017fWk9— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) August 10, 2026Per Baseball Savant, opponents now have a .159 batting average and .238 slugging percentage when facing Seymour’s changeup this season. He has an impressive 39.5% whiff rate with the pitch and a 25.7% putaway rate.His +9 Offspeed Run Value is in the 98th percentile, and his overall Pitching Run Value continues to climb, sitting at +7, which is in the 69th percentile. Despite his fastball being in the sixth percentile, averaging 91 mph, he is finding ways to generate success on the mound.It could not be coming at a better time. With Tampa Bay down McClanahan and Jax from the starting rotation, Seymour has a spot locked down for the foreseeable future. Pressure is on him and the newly acquired Freddy Peralta to offer support behind All-Stars Drew Rasmussen and Nick Martinez, with the No. 5 spot potentially being bullpen games.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow