McClanahan's 7-K return bodes well for Rays

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ST. PETERSBURG -- Asked Sunday morning what has impressed him the most about Shane McClanahan’s rookie season, Rays manager Kevin Cash pointed to the 24-year-old left-hander’s ability to bounce back. Whether it’s a bad pitch, a bad inning or a bad start, McClanahan has managed to move past it and get better each time out.

In the Rays’ 2-0 loss to the Tigers on Sunday afternoon, McClanahan bounced back from his first career stint on the injured list as well as they could have hoped. Despite a complete lack of run support as Tampa Bay was shut out for the seventh time this season, McClanahan allowed only one run on two hits while striking out seven over five efficient innings.

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“I think the biggest thing is, having some time off there, you're not sure how guys are going to bounce back. There's adrenaline. There's just finding your bearings again,” said catcher Mike Zunino, who had three of the Rays’ five hits on the day. “But I thought he did a great job, picked up right where he left off. He's going to be a really key piece for us, and it was nice to see him out there healthy, rested and throwing the ball like he did.”

Despite their second straight loss, the Rays still took a small step toward clinching a spot in the postseason on Sunday. The Yankees’ 11-1 loss to Cleveland dropped Tampa Bay’s magic number down to three, though the Rays’ magic number to clinch the American League East remains at six heading into a three-game series against the Blue Jays at Tropicana Field.

After losing the final two series of their three-city road trip, the Rays split this four-game series against the Tigers and finished the season series 3-4, marking the first time they’ve lost the season set with Detroit since 2016. Overall, they’ve lost seven of their last 11 games and 10 of 18 in September.

“It’s sort of tough for us to get on a roll right now,” Zunino said. “This time of year, no one's rolling over. No one is just trying to give away free wins. So we've got to realize that no one's going to feel sorry for us. We've got to go out there, continue playing our game and bring some energy and play with our intensity that we usually do.”

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Seeing a refreshed and effective McClanahan was important for the Rays as they head down the stretch, as he is poised to enter October as their top starter only a year after making his Major League debut in the postseason. He has held that role since ace Tyler Glasnow went down with a season-ending injury, posting a 3.09 ERA with 93 strikeouts in 81 2/3 innings over 15 starts since June 15.

McClanahan’s stuff was all there on Sunday. His fastball topped out at 100.2 mph and averaged 96.2 mph, according to Statcast. The Tigers whiffed on half of the 12 swings they took against his slider. He threw his curveball for strikes and got Robbie Grossman to swing through a perfectly located curve at the bottom of the zone with two outs and a runner on third base in the third inning.

“I had 10 days of rest, and I think that did my body a really good service,” McClanahan said. “I felt a little out of sync the first couple innings, just because I guess it has been a while since I've thrown. But once I addressed those issues and cleaned it up, I felt like I threw the ball well.”

The lefty made one mistake on Sunday, his first start since a precautionary 10-day stint on the IL due to low back tightness. With two outs in the fourth inning, Tigers left fielder Eric Haase launched a first-pitch changeup from McClanahan out to center field to score the game’s first run.

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But McClanahan got ahead of hitters, throwing first-pitch strikes to 14 of the 19 batters he faced. The Tigers swung and missed on 11 of his 64 pitches. He finished his start with an eight-pitch fifth inning, recording three quick outs without allowing a ball hit into the outfield.

Despite his efficiency, he was lifted after five innings -- the workload the Rays had in mind for him after his time on the shelf, according to manager Kevin Cash. Although he was saddled with a loss, McClanahan checked every box in his return from the IL.

“Shane doesn’t have to throw 100 mph to have success, but when you see the velocity turn in a good direction, that’s a good sign,” Cash said. “He was pretty electric through five innings.”

McClanahan’s outing was the highlight of an otherwise frustrating day for Tampa Bay.

The Rays managed only three hits and three walks against Tigers right-hander Wily Peralta, who tossed seven scoreless innings. They went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, making them 0-for-11 with RISP over the last two days. And when they did have a rally going in the eighth, pinch-runner Kevin Kiermaier was caught stealing second base for the final out of the inning.

“If KK feels he’s got a chance to get closer to scoring position, we’re going to trust his decision-making,” Cash said. “Unfortunate the way it happened, OK with everything that took place. I just wish we would’ve found a way to have been safe.”

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