McClanahan extends scoreless streak as red-hot Rays turn up the heat

TORONTO -- The Rays’ 7-6 victory over the Blue Jays on Tuesday night wasn’t always pretty. It didn’t come easily. They needed to play 10 innings in a game they led by five runs in the seventh.

But good, gritty teams tend to win games like this one.

Starter Shane McClanahan extended a dominant stretch by working five shutout innings, and the red-hot Rays found a way to keep rolling after blowing a 5-0 lead in the seventh.

In the 10th, shortstop Taylor Walls singled through a drawn-in Toronto infield to score Cedric Mullins. After Yandy Díaz walked, Walls alertly advanced on a wild pitch and scored when center fielder Daulton Varsho made an incredible, wall-slamming catch on Jonathan Aranda’s critical sacrifice fly.

Garrett Cleavinger allowed the automatic runner to score in the bottom half of the inning, but nailed down the final three outs as the Rays improved to 16-2 over their last 18 games and 28-13 overall.

“That's what we do. We've got to scrap wins out,” Walls said. “When guys fall, help them up. Do what you can to have their back. And if you do that over the course of 162, you're gonna find yourself in a good spot.”

For all the things the Rays did well, the highlight of the night was McClanahan’s performance. He struck out seven, walked just one batter, didn’t give up a hit until the fifth inning and pushed his career-best scoreless streak to 21 2/3 innings.

McClanahan has been insistent on avoiding any mentions of his personal streaks, achievements or accomplishments, but here’s a fun one: The left-hander joined teammate and close friend Drew Rasmussen as the only pitchers in franchise history with four straight scoreless starts of at least five innings.

Speaking in the visitors dugout before Tuesday’s game, manager Kevin Cash observed that “everything’s starting to sync up” for McClanahan during this stretch of starts. He looked even better against the struggling Blue Jays, as his fastball velocity again ticked up and his offspeed stuff continued to shine.

His unhittable changeup kept the Jays’ right-handed hitters off-balance all game, as they whiffed on half of their 14 swings against the offspeed offering. He finished at least one strikeout with each of his four pitches, including four with his changeup.

“He had everything going again,” Cash said afterward. “He was nasty.”

The Rays are still being careful with McClanahan’s workload, as his night ended after five innings and 80 pitches. But his performance has been ace-like, with no signs of the injuries that sidelined him for the past 2 1/2 seasons.

His ERA is down to 2.27, fifth-best in the American League among pitchers who have worked at least 35 innings. (Fellow Rays starter Nick Martinez is fourth, with a 1.70 ERA.) He’s racked up 41 strikeouts while allowing only 24 hits in 39 2/3 innings. After issuing 11 walks in his first three starts, he’s permitted only four over his last five outings.

“He's been spectacular,” Aranda said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “Obviously, we missed him when he wasn't on the mound. … It's great that we've seen him get back to his usual self, but obviously he's been helping out our team and winning ballgames. And he's been just great to watch.”

The Jays put some pressure on him in the fifth inning, putting two runners in scoring position after an error by Junior Caminero, a single by Ernie Clement and a fielder’s-choice grounder by Varsho. But McClanahan stepped on the gas to get out of the jam.

After Varsho stole second, McClanahan won a seven-pitch battle with Davis Schneider, who went down looking at a high slider for the second out of the inning. McClanahan fell behind No. 9-hitting catcher Brandon Valenzuela, but roared back with a sequence punctuated by a high, 97.2 mph fastball that Valenzuela whiffed on.

McClanahan pumped his fists and shouted before marching back to the dugout.

“It's called competing my butt off, and that's just what it is,” McClanahan said. “When big moments get big, just got to compete. And that's kind of been the difference. I feel like, with myself over the last maybe month or so.”

The Rays gave McClanahan some early run support and led by five with only nine outs to go. But the Blue Jays erased the Rays’ lead with a five-run seventh that included three relievers -- Casey Legumina, Cole Sulser and Kevin Kelly -- and multiple misplays by Caminero.

The shift in momentum didn’t last. The way the Rays are playing, it’s hard to keep them down for long.

“That was really fun. That was a great atmosphere, and this team doesn't quit,” McClanahan said. “These guys fought all game long, and it's really cool to see.”