Shane McClanahan Dominant Again as Rays Sweep Pirates
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — All Shane McClanahan can do to prove he's the best pitcher in baseball right now is to go out and show off in every start. He did just that on Sunday.
McClanahan, who leads the majors in strikeouts, earned run average and several other categories, pitched seven innings and allowed just one run to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Rays' 4-2 victory.
With the win, the Rays swept the Pirates and are now 10-1 against National League teams this season. The Rays are now 40-32 on the season.
The game was tight most of the way, which is no surprise since it was the 12th game outing that was decided by two runs or less, a team record. It was the Rays who struck first, without ever striking the ball.
Their gift came in the second, taking a 1-0 lead thanks to four walks in the inning by starter Roansy Contreras. The inning ended on a flyout to the warning track in right by Yandy Diaz.
The Pirates answered back in the top of the third. McClanahan (8-3), who retired his first six hitters, gave up a lead-off single to left by second baseman Ya Chang. Two batters later, catcher Tyler Heineman laid a bunt down the third base line that McClanahan fielded, but couldn't make a throw. Chang went to second, and then scored on a two-out single by designated hitter Bryan Reynolds to tie the game.
The Rays threatened again in the fourth but didn't score. Isaac Paredes led off with a double, but then Francisco Mejia popped up and Vidal Brujan struck out. Diaz then hit a second shot to the wall in right, but it was caught. Paredes doubled again in the sixth with one out, but Mejia and Brujan both struck again to end that threat as well.
McClanahan, who came into the game leading the majors in strikeouts (113), ERA (1.81) and opponents' batting average (.185), pitched seven innings. He allowed just the one run and four hits. He finished with 10 strikeouts and threw 99 pitches. It was his third double-digit strikeout game.
The Rays bats came alive in the bottom of the seventh, blowing the game open. Diaz, who had been hitting the ball hard all day, led off the inning with a double to right center. He went to third on a groundout but then was thrown out at home easily, running on a contact play.
Arozarena then tried to steal second and was called out. But Rays manager Kevin Cash challenged the call and it was overturned. Ji-Man Choi then doubled to right and Arozarena scored to put the Rays ahead 2-1. Harold Ramirez was intentionally walked.
Cash put Taylor Walls in to run for Choi and when Josh Lowe singled to lift, he zipped around the bases and scored easily. Cash then had Brett Phillips run for Ramirez, and he did the same thing when Paredes singled to center, beating the throw by a few feet to make it 4-1.
That speed off the bench definitely made a difference, but it's doubtful that Choi or Ramirez would have scored on either hit.
Jason Adam came in to pitch the eighth for the Rays, allowing a pinch-hit home run by Daniel Vogelbach to cut the lead to 4-2. Brooks Raley pitched the ninth, getting his fourth save of the season.
Wander Franco played his first game for the Rays since May 30, finally healthy after dealing with quadriceps issues. He had a single in five at-bats.
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco (5) singles during the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Tropicana Field. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Paredes' magical week continued. He was 3-for-3 on Sunday, and is 11-for-19 this week — a .579 average — with five home runs and nine RBIs.
The Rays continue to dominate National League opponents. That's 10 straight wins this season after losing their first game to the Chicago Cubs in April. They won the next two in that series and have swept the Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals and the Pirates since then. It was the first sweep of the Pirates in Tampa Bay history.
Tampa Bay will continue interleague play on Tuesday after a day off. The Milwaukee Brewers, who are tied for the National League Central lead come
Related stories on Rays baseball
- TOM BREW COLUMN: Thanks to a pair of walk-off wins on back-to-back nights, the Tampa Bay Rays have now won nine straight interleague games this season. That dominance has helped get the Rays into the playoff picture, and continuing that will help a lot. CLICK HERE
- WANDER FRANCO RETURNS: Talented Tampa Bay shortstop Wander Franco has missed four weeks with quadriceps and hamstring injuries, but he's back in the starting lineup on Sunday for the Rays and he says he feels great. CLICK HERE
- PAREDES HERO AGAIN (Saturday): Tampa Bay's Isaac Paredes has had a week for the ages, and he added to it on Saturday with another home run and a two-run walk-off single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. His big hit gave the Rays a 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, beating them in walk-off fashion for the second straight night. CLICK HERE
- RAYS WIN IN EXTRAS (Friday): Newcomers Luke Raley and Jonathan Aranda had early RBI singles and Harold Ramirez drove in the winning run in the 10th inning as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 on Friday night. Rays pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts and no walks, only the fourth time in team history that it's happened. CLICK HERE
- RAYS NOTEBOOK: Pitcher Shane Baz recalls the day he got traded to the Rays from the Pirates back in 2018, plus injury updates on Manuel Margot, Wander Franco and Drew Rasmussen. CLICK HERE
- RAYS 2022 SCHEDULE: Here is the Rays' complete schedule for 2022, with results and stats thus far, and gametimes and locations for the rest of the year. CLICK HERE
