Pruitt, who recorded three strikeouts and allowed three earned runs on seven hits over five innings in an extra-innings loss to the Mariners on Friday, has now pitched at least five innings in three consecutive relief appearances.
Included in that sample is an extremely rare five-inning-plus save May 27 against the Orioles. Three straight long-relief outings of five innings or more qualify as highly unusual as well, but given how creative manager Kevin Cash has been with the use of his pitching staff this season, it's a slightly more plausible scenario in Tampa than it would be virtually anywhere else. Pruitt's ability to essentially work a starter's workload -- irrespective of the order in which he enters the game -- figures to continue affording him plenty of opportunities while he remains at the big-league level.