BALTIMORE — Shane McClanahan overcame a rough start Tuesday in his first game for the Rays after his All-Star appearance a week earlier.
Despite settling in for a solid outing, McClanahan was pulled after seven innings and 81 pitches. Reliever Colin Poche failed to finish the job, allowing a two-run homer to Ramon Urias in a three-run eighth inning.
That gave the Orioles a 5-3 win and sent the Rays (52-45) to their fourth straight loss.
The Rays are concerned about McClanahan’s workload in his first full season in the majors as he made 18 starts and threw 110 2/3 innings before the break.
That was part of the reason they pushed him to the back of the post-break rotation and limited him to seven innings on Tuesday despite the efficient use of pitches.
Poche, who last worked on Friday, allowed a leadoff single to Adley Rutschman, then the homer to Urias on an 0-2 pitch. He then got one out, but allowed a double, a stolen base and a walk before being pulled. A sac fly off Shawn Armstrong gave the Orioles their fifth run.
McClanahan’s first pitch didn’t go well.
It did go far, however. About 368 feet and over the right-field wall as launched by Orioles leadoff man Cedric Mullins.
McClanahan had another scare two batters later, but Luke Raley leaped at the right-field wall to save another homer. Then he settled into his usual form, allowing just one other hit, a solo homer by Anthony Santander with two outs in the fourth.
The offense continued to be an issue, not exactly answering manager Kevin Cash’s pre-game call to duty:
“We need to do a better job for our pitchers in just giving a little bit of support. Every pitch that we’re making right now seems magnified, it’s intensified just because we know runs have been tough to come by. This offense is capable of doing more and we’d like to see that start (Tuesday).”
Randy Arozarena, continuing to torment the Orioles, singled in a the tying run in the third, after having to hit the deck due to high and tight pitches from Spenser Watkins each of his first two at-bats.
Isaac Paredes hit his team-high 14th homer, though his first since July 2, to put the Rays up 2-1 in the fourth. They added another run thanks to two of their newcomers. Raley, a recent call-up, singled, moved up on a throwing error and scored on a sharp hit to right field by recent signee Roman Quinn, who hustled it into a double.
Santander’s homer in the fourth got the Orioles within 3-2.
