McClanahan's adjustments pay off in win over Orioles

ST. PETERSBURG -- After one start in which he didn’t have his All-Star arsenal and another where better stuff didn’t lead to better results, Rays ace Shane McClanahan put nearly everything back in order Saturday afternoon at Tropicana Field.

McClanahan allowed only two runs over six innings, generated 20 swinging strikes on 100 pitches and led the Rays to an 8-2 win over the Orioles. The victory snapped the Rays’ three-game losing streak, moved them ahead of Baltimore in the American League East standings and bumped them back into the third American League Wild Card spot.

“Happy with Shane,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Wanted to come out and win, and he kind of set that tone.”

McClanahan’s final line may not have reflected the All-Star form he often flashed. He gave up seven hits, walked three (tying a career high) and only struck out four. But it was nonetheless a welcome bounce-back performance after he gave up nine runs over his previous two starts -- and it showed how opposing lineups are reacting to what he did throughout the first half of the season.

McClanahan’s deep and powerful mix of four pitches makes him nearly impossible to beat in two-strike counts. It becomes a guessing game, one that hitters aren’t likely to win against a pitcher who can throw anything at any time.

“A lot of times, you want to see what a guy's got,” Cash said. “Well, he's kind of proven what he's got.”

To avoid deep counts, opponents are starting to attack McClanahan with early, contact-oriented swings. That has left McClanahan on the wrong end of some frustrating rallies, like the Orioles’ two-run second inning in which they strung together three straight one-out singles after a leadoff double.

“They don't want to fall behind on him,” catcher Francisco Mejía said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “They know he has a lot of pitches that can put them out when they get two strikes, so I think that's why they're ready early.”

But it’s possible for McClanahan to have swing-and-miss stuff without piling up strikeouts like he so often has this season. That was the case on Saturday.

The Orioles swung early in counts and put the ball in play often enough to keep McClanahan from racking up strikeouts. No pitcher this season has recorded more swinging strikes, in fact, while striking out four batters or fewer in a single game. Yet the 20 whiffs he induced were tied for the fifth-most in his career and twice as many as he recorded during an uncharacteristically mediocre performance against Cleveland on July 31.

“Teams are kind of not letting me get to two strikes. They're trying to put the ball in play early, and kudos to them,” said McClanahan, who has allowed two runs or fewer in 17 of his 22 starts this season. “They have a game plan, they're sticking to it, and it's up to me to make the adjustment.”

McClanahan used his entire four-pitch mix just about evenly Saturday, the kind of balanced attack that’s made him such an unpredictable and difficult matchup throughout the season. He strayed from that approach in his last outing, when he relied a bit too much on his fastball and changeup while surrendering four runs to the Tigers over 6 1/3 innings.

And using the Orioles’ aggressiveness against them allowed him to cruise through his final four innings on only 56 pitches while allowing only two walks and two singles.

“I was like, 'All right, keep 'em here, give these boys a chance,’” McClanahan said. “Defense picked me up tremendously. Offense was there. Good energy.”

It was the Rays’ first win behind McClanahan since July 13, his final outing before starting the All-Star Game, and nearly everyone in the lineup played a part.

First-time leadoff hitter Yu Chang and Isaac Paredes each drove in two runs. Randy Arozarena was on base four times. Mejía had two hits. Taylor Walls launched a two-run homer. And Jose Siri had his finest game as a Ray, tallying three hits and scoring three runs while putting his speed on display to steal second and third base in the fourth inning.

It was the Rays’ highest-scoring game since a 10-5 win over the Red Sox on July 11, and they were one run shy of matching their total from the previous three losses combined.

“Yesterday, we weren't really doing much. Today, we got to explode out of that a little bit,” Mejía said through Navarro. “It's just part of the game.”