ST. PETERSBURG -- Shane McClanahan and the Rays had plenty to talk about after a 3-0 win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon at Tropicana Field.
They could have raved about McClanahan’s continued dominance in his return from 2 1/2 seasons lost to injuries. They could have gone on and on about how amazing their pitching staff and defense have been over the last two weeks. They could have highlighted their lineup’s knack for timely hits, their bullpen’s scoreless streak or their apparent inability to lose a game at their rebuilt home dome.
But the thing McClanahan kept coming back to was the camaraderie inside Tampa Bay’s clubhouse.
“It's a really fun place to work right now,” he said. “I come into the field each day, and I'm like, 'Man, I’ve got a lot of my friends just hanging out, and we're gonna go to war for each other.' I can't say enough good things.”
Can you blame him? Just look at what the Rays are doing right now.
Wednesday’s victory put an exclamation point on an undefeated homestand, as the Rays finished off a sweep of the Blue Jays on the heels of a three-game sweep against the Giants, giving them an MLB-leading five sweeps on the year.
The Rays have been the best team in the Majors (22-7) since April 4, bringing their overall record to 24-12. It’s the first time they’ve been 12 games over .500 since they finished the 2023 season at 99-63.
Wednesday’s win concluded just the third undefeated, multi-series homestand in franchise history, joining one in 2023 (April 7-13) and another in 2018 (Aug. 20-26), and they allowed only six runs in these past six games at the Trop.
The Rays have won 12 of their last 13 games and allowed three runs or fewer in each of those 13 games, with only 17 total runs surrendered during that stretch. That streak is a franchise record and tied with four others (most recently the 2022 Astros) for the second-longest such run in the Wild Card era, trailing only the 2010 Giants’ 18-game streak. Here's the full list:
2010 Giants: 18
2026 Rays: 13 *active
2022 Astros: 13
2014 Mariners: 13
2013 Royals: 13
2002 Diamondbacks: 13
“They're on a good run, no doubt,” manager Kevin Cash said. “They're setting the bar really high for themselves, and they should all be feeling pretty good about how individually they're contributing.”
McClanahan set the tone against the Blue Jays, building on what he did in his last three starts and continuing to look more like the back-to-back All-Star he was before losing 2 1/2 seasons to injuries. Maybe even a better version, in fact.
McClanahan extended his personal scoreless streak to 16 2/3 innings with Wednesday’s 5 2/3-inning outing, as he held Toronto to two hits and a walk while striking out four.
It’s the longest scoreless streak of the left-hander’s career, surpassing a 15-inning run in late 2022. This is also the first time McClanahan has put together three consecutive scoreless starts.
McClanahan said he’s not concerned about whether he’s back, better or anything in between. He’s adopted a different mindset.
“If you simplify it, if you just want to win, you're gonna go out there and find ways to win,” he said.
The lefty’s fastball velocity took another jump, averaging 95.6 mph, but he used it even less than his changeup and his curveball. Those secondary pitches accounted for nine of the 10 swinging strikes he recorded and finished each of his four strikeouts.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider noted McClanahan’s increased usage of his curveball, a good reflection of his stated desire to become a more complete and “unpredictable” pitcher.
“He pitched and mixed really, really well today,” Cash said. “They threw a pretty tough right-handed lineup against him, but he got in rhythm and never came out of it.”
He even fielded his position well. In the fourth inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a high chopper just to McClanahan’s right. Rather than waiting for Junior Caminero or Taylor Walls to field it, the lefty got under the ball, snagged it and fired an on-target throw to first baseman Jonathan Aranda.
“I want to win a Gold Glove,” he said, grinning.
Everyone else played a part, as has often been the case this season. Jonny DeLuca doubled in a run and scored on a single by Chandler Simpson in the fourth, and Cedric Mullins scored an insurance run in the eighth.
Kevin Kelly relieved McClanahan with two outs and a man on in the sixth and promptly retired Guerrero, then Garrett Cleavinger, Bryan Baker and Ian Seymour (who picked up his first career save) extended the bullpen’s scoreless streak to 17 1/3 innings.
“Just in all facets of the game -- pitching, defense, hitting, power, small ball, on the basepaths -- it's all coming together right now,” Simpson said.