ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Shane McClanahan pitched the Rays to victory on Saturday, 8-2 over Baltimore.
Prior to his trip to the All-Star Game, that was hardly news. McClanahan made 18 starts, the Rays came out on top 12 times and he got 10 wins, to go with his tidy 1.71 ERA.
But over his first three starts since the break, McClanahan wasn’t having the same success. Hits and runs allowed were up, strikeouts were down and wins were not happening. The Rays lost all three games, and McClanahan was 0-2, 5.60.
Saturday’s outing wasn’t dominant. McClanahan struck out only four (his third straight game of four or fewer) and allowed a season high-matching seven hits, plus he got saved from a few more by some dazzling defense. But he allowed only the two runs and got 20 swings-and-misses along the way, his third-highest total of the season.
And he put the Rays in position to win. They took advantage with what for them was an offensive outburst; the eight runs are the most in a game since the break.
Taylor Walls had a two-run homer in the eighth inning. Yu Chang, taking an unexpected turn in the leadoff spot, knocked in two runs and scored another. Isaac Paredes also had two RBIs. Jose Siri had three hits; Randy Arozarena and Francisco Mejia each had two.
The win snapped the Rays’ three-game losing streak, improved their record to 59-53, moved them back ahead of the Orioles (59-54) for the third American League wild-card spot (pending the Twins’ late result), as well as third place in the AL East.
And it evened the season series with the Orioles at 9-9 heading into Sunday’s finale, which has the added significance of being the first tiebreaker if they finish with the same record and a playoff berth is in play.
There was a brief skirmish after Rays reliever Pete Fairbanks yelled at Orioles catcher (and ex-Ray) Robinson Chirinos over a late timeout call earlier in the at-bat, and both benches emptied, but order was restored quickly.
