The Tampa Bay Rays will turn to former ace Shane McClanahan on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series with the San Francisco Giants in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Rays continue to see progress from the left-hander, who recorded his first home win in almost three years last weekend against the Minnesota Twins.
The Rays realize the 2026 version of McClanahan, who turned 29 on Tuesday, is different from the one who started the 2022 All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.
McClanahan (2-2, 3.91 ERA) does not possess overwhelming numbers like four seasons ago, but he finally is back from 2023 Tommy John surgery and last August’s procedure for a nerve problem. He missed all of the 2024 and ’25 seasons.
In 2022, strikeouts came easily when he accumulated 194 in 166 1/3 innings en route to a 12-8 mark and a 2.54 ERA.
In striking out seven visiting Minnesota Twins over five scoreless innings Saturday in a 6-1 victory, he secured his first win at Tropicana Field since June 11, 2023.
“He got his strikeouts today,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said afterward. “Encouraged by that. That’s who he is. When he’s right, he’s going to get a lot of swing-and-miss, because he’s got four quality options to go to.”
McClanahan will face the Giants for the first time for the Rays, who return to Florida after taking two of three games in Cleveland but who had their 13-game winning streak against American League teams snapped Wednesday in a 3-1 loss.
Meanwhile, the Giants ended April pretty much the way the whole month played out: poorly. They lost all three games in Philadelphia, being swept in a doubleheader by the Phillies 3-2 and 6-5, the latter in 10 innings, on Thursday.
Reliever Ryan Walker blew the save in Game 1, allowing Justin Crawford’s walk-off infield single.
Game 2 slipped away from the Giants as they failed to score in the top of the 10th despite having runners at first and third with no outs. Alec Bohm then won it for the Phillies on a sacrifice fly, sending San Francisco to its sixth loss in the past 10 games.
The Giants went 11-15 in April.
The last-place National League West club will counter with its own left-hander on Friday as Robbie Ray (2-3, 2.70 ERA) will make his seventh start of 2026.
In his most recent outing, at home against the Miami Marlins on Saturday, the 34-year-old Ray allowed one run on four hits in five innings and took a no-decision as the Giants won 6-2 behind homers from Drew Gilbert, Casey Schmitt and Heliot Ramos.
That start has been the typical fare from Ray thus far. He has allowed more than two runs only once, giving up three on seven hits in a 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals on April 19.
In his three losses, the Giants have a total of one run. But San Francisco manager Tony Vitello said he appreciates the consistency the 13-year veteran brings each game.
“He’s not afraid to compete, and he’s going to do his thing,” the first-year skipper said. “I like how comfortable he is in his own skin. He’s going to give you an opportunity to win, which is all you can ask.”
The 2021 American League Cy Young Award winner with the Toronto Blue Jays, Ray is 2-4 with a 3.09 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings over nine career starts against Tampa Bay.
–Field Level Media
