McClanahan's velocity, location trend in right direction despite loss

PITTSBURGH -- As Shane McClanahan was progressing through Spring Training, preparing to rejoin the Rays’ rotation for the first time since August 2023, the Rays occasionally preached patience. Even for someone as talented and dedicated as McClanahan, making up for lost time would take … well, time.

McClanahan took a big step in that direction in the Rays’ 6-3 loss to the Pirates on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park. The only thing that didn’t really look like the two-time All-Star was his final line, as he allowed four runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings.

“That’s just how, sometimes, baseball is. I felt today was probably the best I've thrown all year -- in a really long time, for that matter,” McClanahan said afterward. “Unfortunately, it just doesn't go your way sometimes. Obviously, it was a great step [and] felt good, but I want to win.”

If McClanahan can build off what he did against the Pirates, more wins should follow soon.

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Feeling like his delivery was more in sync, McClanahan saw his average fastball velocity jump to 95.5 mph. His heater topped out at 97.8 mph, and he threw seven pitches at 97 mph or more after touching that number only twice in his first three outings.

McClanahan racked up a season-high 11 swinging strikes. He faced 21 batters and threw 16 first-pitch strikes. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter after issuing 11 free passes in his first 13 2/3 innings this season, his first regular-season game action after two major arm injuries sidelined him the past two years.

“It's all new-ish again out there, and I've been working my butt off,” McClanahan said. “I think today was an example of just kind of cleaning up the mechanics a little bit and trying to really fill it up and compete and attack, and I'm proud of the way I did that.”

Was he perfect? No. McClanahan acknowledged he could have been better at finishing at-bats, as the Pirates hit 26 foul balls and made him throw 90 pitches (65 strikes) to get 13 outs.

But was it something to feel good about in an otherwise forgettable defeat? The Rays certainly thought so.

“I was very encouraged with Shane's outing. The velocity alone was encouraging to see,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Very happy. I think that he took a big step.”

“Game plan going in was pound the zone, get ahead early. I thought he executed well,” added catcher Hunter Feduccia. “Credit to the Pirates for putting up good ABs. … Going forward, I think if he sticks with that plan, he's going to find a lot of success.”

The Rays didn’t find much success against right-hander Mitch Keller, who gave the Pirates exactly what they needed after Saturday’s bullpen-depleting marathon. Chandler Simpson hit a leadoff single, and that was the only baserunner Tampa Bay had until it scored twice on a two-out single by Feduccia in the fifth inning.

That was all the Rays managed offensively until Junior Caminero launched his fifth home run off debuting right-hander Wilber Dotel in the ninth, giving Caminero an RBI in five straight games for the first time in his career.

Feduccia’s hit briefly gave the Rays a 2-1 lead in the fifth, but the Pirates immediately answered against McClanahan. Joey Bart started the rally by banging a two-strike fastball high off the center-field wall for a leadoff double.

Billy Cook then reached on a bunt single, which Feduccia fielded cleanly but didn’t throw to first quickly enough. Feduccia acknowledged he likely thought he had more time to make the play than he actually did.

“We've got to make a play on a bunt behind him,” Cash said. “Maybe it's a different inning with that.”

Cook promptly stole second, and the Pirates tied it up when Nick Gonzales softly hit a 1-2 slider to center, where Cedric Mullins just missed on a diving attempt that he called a “tough play.” With runners on second and third and the infield in, Bryan Reynolds smacked a 2-2 fastball through the left side of the infield for a tiebreaking two-run single.

McClanahan then gave way to relievers Mason Englert and Ian Seymour, who each allowed a run while working more than an inning despite pitching in Saturday’s 13-inning game.

It wound up being McClanahan’s second loss of the season, but there were still some wins to be found.

“I firmly believe that results will even out. I feel if I throw the ball the way I threw it today, I think things are going to go my way more times than not,” McClanahan said. “As a competitor, you know you're going to get beat at times, and it's better to have the other team do it than yourself.”