TEXAS RANGERS NOTES:
WINS AND LOSSES: Texas took the 2nd game of the series against TB yesterday, 8-4, as team makes a quick 3-G stop in TB (1-1 + 1 G)…team snapped a 2-G losing streak with the win yesterday…club has won 7 of 10, 11 of 15, 15 of 20, 19 of 27, and 23 of last 32 games…TEX is an MLB-best 27-11 (.711) in last 38 G beg. 4/28…it is the most wins in any 38-G stretch for Texas since 5/24-7/3/16 (also had a 27-11 record)…TEX is 33-16 in last 49 G and 37-18 in last 55 G beg. 4/9.
- At 41-22 (.651), TEX owns the 2nd-best record in MLB to only TB (47-20, .701)…club’s 41 wins rank 2nd in A.L. and MLB (47-TB).
- The 41-22 start is the Rangers’ best 63-G start to a season in WSH/TEX franchise history (see chart below), 2 G ahead of the next-best start (39-24, done 3x: 1996, 1998, 2016).
- TEX is 19 G above .500 for the 3rd time this season (also 39-20, 6/5 and 40-21, 6/7).
WITH A WIN TODAY, Texas could:
- Move to 42-22, which would mark the best 64-G start in franchise history…even with a loss today, a 41-23 record would also be a record for a 64-G start in club history.
- Secure a season-high 7th-straight series, while also climbing to a season high-tying 20 G above .500 for the 2nd time this season (also 40-20, 6/6).
- Win a franchise record 7th-consecutive road series, improving to 9-2-0 in road series in ’23.
SERIES STUFF: After securing a series win vs. STL, Texas has now won a season-high 6 consecutive series, longest span for team since club-record 10 straight series victories from 5/20-6/20/16…TEX is looking to notch a win during today’s rubber match and extend a franchise record 6-straight road series wins…club is 8-2-0 in last 10 series on the road… team is now 11-1-1 in last 13 series and 14-2-1 in last 17.
- The Rangers are 15-4-1 overall in series this year, going 7-2-1 at home and 8-2-0 on the road.
WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD: TEX and TB play a rubber game today, with both clubs trying to take the 1st series of the season between the teams holding the best records in MLB (see chart below)…the Rangers are 5-1 in rubber games in ’23, with a perfect 4-0 record in such games on the road.
BEST RECORDS IN MLB, 2023
Win Pct. Team W-L
.701 Tampa Bay 47-20
.651 Texas 41-22
.625 Atlanta/Baltimore 40-24
SUMMER PLANS: The Rangers are in the middle of a span of playing 16-straight games in Texas or Florida from 6/2-18… Rangers have a 6-2 record over this period, which began with a 6-G homestand in Arlington earlier this month: 6/2-4 vs. SEA (3-0), 6/5-7 vs. STL (2-1), 6/9-11 at TB (1-1 + 1 G), 6/12- 15 vs. LAA (4 G), 6/16-18 vs. TOR (3 G).
QUICK TRIP: TEX concludes a 3-G trip to Tampa/St. Petersburg today (1-1 + 1 G)…it marks the Rangers’ 3rd (and final) road trip of 3 G this season…club owns a 2-6 record in such trips (1-2 at CHC, 4/7-9; 0-3 at CIN, 4/24-26; 1-1 + 1 G at TB, 6/9-11)…team has won 11 of 16 and 14 of 20 on the road after a season-long 4-G away losing skid…club is 20-13 (.625) on road, T2nd-most wins by a team on the road this season
(21-BAL, 20-ATL/TEX)…2nd-best away win pct. in A.L., 3rd in MLB…last month, TEX tied the franchise record for road wins in a calendar month with 13 in May (also Aug. 2013, 13-3).
VS. TAMPA BAY: TEX plays 2 series of 3 G against TB this season (1-1 + 1 G, 6/9-11 vs. TB; 7/17-19 at TEX)…TEX went 3-4 against TB last season, losing 2 of 3 at the Trop…TEX has won 8 of 15 and 10 of last 18 vs. TB, this after a span in which TEX dropped 8 of 10 from 4/16/18-9/10/19…series is 23-24 since beg. of 2015…club has won 5 of 8, 10 of 18, and 12 of last 22 G at the Trop, beg. 5/10/15 (does not include a 3-G series vs. HOU at Tropicana Field from 8/29-31/17 due to Hurricane Harvey)…TEX leads all-time series between the two clubs, 106-95, but is 47-52 as the visiting team.
5-STAR COREY: After going 5-for-5 yesterday, Corey Seager established a new career high in hits, surpassing a previous high of 4 H (done 9 times)…he becomes the 4th left-handed batter in TEX/WSH franchise history to notch 5+ H and 4+ RBI, 1st since Josh Hamilton on 5/8/13 at BAL (see chart below)…he also a tied season high w/ 4 RBI (done 3 times).
- Seager is batting .348/.368/.652/1.020 (31-89) w/ 6 HR, 9 2B, and a Major League-leading 29 RBI in 21 games since being activated from IL on 5/17…his .352 BA this season ranks 2nd-best in MLB (min. 125 PA).
LEFT-HANDED BATTERS W/ 5 HITS AND 4+ RBI IN A GAME, WSH/TEX FRANCHISE HISTORY
Player Opp. Date H RBI
Corey Seager at TB 6/10/23 5 4
Josh Hamilton at BAL 5/8/13 5 8
Josh Hamilton vs. HOU 5/16/08 5 5
Rusty Greer vs. CLE 8/31/00 5 4
Bob Jones at OAK 7/3/83 5 4
NATHAN’S FAMOUS: Nathan Eovaldi helped snap a 2-G losing streak for TEX (6.1 IP, 7H, 4R-ER, 3 BB, 6 SO) and secured his 9th win of the season yesterday, which is tied with TB’s Shane McClanahan for the Major League lead…saw his 20.0 SHO IP streak end in the 4th inning, which marked his 2nd-longest SHO IP streak of the season, behind a career-best 29.2 IP from 4/24-5/17 (longest scoreless streak in MLB this season and T5th-longest in Rangers history).
- Eovaldi is currently riding an 8-G winning streak, the longest by a Ranger since Martín Pérez went 9-0 from 5/10- 7/29/22…over his last 8 starts, Eovaldi is 7-0 with a 1.22 ERA (8 ER/59.0 IP) and an .168 opp. BA (34-for-202).
- Eovaldi is now the 5th pitcher in WSH/TEX franchise history with 9-or-more wins in his first 13 starts of a season…last done by Tommy Hunter in 2010, who went 9-1.
SCOREBOARD WATCH: The Rangers’ +153 run differential is tops in MLB (2nd: TB, +136; 3rd: ATL, +73) and ranks 7th all-time (since 1901) for R/D in 1st 63 G of a season…all 6 teams ahead of the Rangers played in the World Series that campaign, with 4 winning the title.
- TEX has scored an MLB-high 397 R this season…the 397 R are the most scored through 1st 63 G of a season in WSH/ TEX history, and the most since 2001 (COL-409)…club owns an MLB-leading 16 G with 10+ R this season, and MLB-high 5 G w/ 15+ R are tied for most in franchise history (also 1998).
THE STOPPERS: Josh Sborz and Will Smith tossed a combined 2.2 SHO IP yesterday…the 2nd time in last 3 G (where the bullpen has been utilized) that Sborz and Smith have pitched SHO IP in TEX wins…Sborz in his last 4 G: 6.1 SHO IP, 1 BB/11 SO…Smith in last 5 G: 5.0 SHO IP, 1 BB/5 SO.
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHER – #54 Martín Pérez, LHP
(6-1, 3.97)
TODAY: The 32-year-old left-hander is slated to make his 13th start of the season in today’s series finale at Tampa Bay…did not factor into the decision of his most recent outing on Mon. vs. STL, despite not allowing an earned run over a season-high-tying (3x) 7.0 strong frames (3 H, 1 R-0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 88 pitches/59 strikes)…has tossed season-high 7.0 IP in 3 of last 4 GS (beg. 5/19) and is unbeaten (5-0) in his last 10 starts, as his 6 wins in 2023 are T2nd among Rangers and T9th-most in A.L…opponents are batting .285/.336/.444/.780 w/ 10 HR, 21 BB, 49 SO in 68.0 IP in 2023… the .285 opp. BA is 6th-highest of any MLB qualifier…has already allowed 10 HR (1.48 HR/9) this season after permitting just 11 HR (0.50 HR/9) in all of 2022…made 2 starts for Venezuela in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, posting no record and a 9.82 ERA (4 ER/3.2 IP)…after returning to the Rangers on a one-year free agent deal for 2022, he elected to stay with Texas in 2023 on a one-year deal after accepting the club’s qualifying offer in November…spent the first 11 seasons of his professional career with the Rangers (2008-18), and has been with the organization for 12 of his 15 years as a pro…left the club for 3 years for brief stints with Minnesota (2019) and Boston (2020-21)…since 2016, his first full campaign after returning from ‘Tommy John’ surgery, has the 2nd-most starts (187) and 2nd-most innings pitched (1074.2) of any pitcher in the American League…saw two seasons cut short in 2014-15 following ‘Tommy John’ ligament reconstruction surgery on his left elbow on 5/19/14…Texas has gone 9-3 in his 12 starts this season.
LAST START: Took a no-decision in most recent outing on 6/5 vs. STL at Globe Life Field despite logging season-high-tying 7.0 IP (3x) and not allowing an earned run…lone damage against him came via an unearned tally in the 2nd (Willson Contreras) when the Cardinals backstop reached on a Texas 2-base fielding error and subsequently scored on a Paul DeJong RBI single…retired 16 of final 19 batters faced in the wake of the DeJong knock, en route to his 3rd ultra-quality start of the season…departed with TEX ahead, 3-1, before STL mounted a 2-run, game-tying rally in the 8th; Rangers ultimately walked off winners on a Nathaniel Lowe RBI single in the 9th, improving to 9-3 (.750) in Pérez starts on the season – the 2nd-best team win pct. for any TEX starter this season (1st-deGrom, 6-0, 1.000)…lowered his home ERA to 1.40, the 2nd-lowest mark in the A.L. (min. 4 GS), trailing only his opposite number this afternoon, TB’s Shane McClanahan (1.22).
VS. TAMPA BAY / AT THE TROP: Is 4-6, 5.46 ERA (51 ER/84.0 IP) in 18 career games/15 starts opposite TB…has earned wins in each of his last 2 starts vs. the Rays: 5/31/22 in Arlington and 9/16/22 in St. Pete, combining to go 2-0, 2.19 ERA (3 ER/12.1 IP) in those outings…has performed worse against TB on the road, posting a 3-4, 7.78 ERA (32 ER/37.0 IP) in 8 G/7 GS vs. TB at the Trop.
- Owns one additional appearance at Tropicana Field – a start on 8/29/17 against Houston (7.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R-ER, 2 BB, 4 SO)…game was moved to St. Pete due to the effects of Hurricane Harvey on the Houston region.
FOREVER RANGER: Has a 61-58 record with a 4.26 ERA over 185 games/172 starts in his Rangers career, ranking among club’s all-time leaders in starts (7th), innings (8th, 1025.2), wins (10th), and strikeouts (12th,
680)…his 61 wins are the 3rd-most ever by a Texas left-hander, trailing only Kenny Rogers (133) and Derek Holland (62)…Pérez and Rogers (1909.0 IP) are the only LHP in TEX history to log 1000.0+ IP with the club.
- Since returning to Texas prior to the start of the 2022 campaign, Pérez has gone 18-9, 3.17 ERA (93 ER/264.1 IP) in 44 G/GS…ranks among qualified A.L. pitchers over that span in innings (4th), quality starts (4th, 28), ground ball pct. (5th, 48.7%), starts (T5th), HR/9 (6th, 0.72), and wins (T6th).
ON THE ROAD (AGAIN): Is set to make his 9th road start of the season this afternoon, entering with an away mark of 3-1, 5.53 ERA (26 ER/42.1 IP), compared to a home record of 3-0, 1.40 ERA (4 ER/25.2 IP)…his 8 road starts entering play today are tied for the MLB lead…has traditionally fared slightly worse on the road, owning a 38-42, 4.49 ERA in 127 career G/113 GS on the road, compared to 43-36, 4.34 ERA in 138 career G/122 GS at home.
HOW SUPPORTIVE: Has received an average of 9.13 runs of support-per-9.0 innings this season, the highest qualified mark in MLB; rotation-mate Nathan Eovaldi ranks 2nd in the category (7.48), while TB’s Shane McClanahan ranks 4th (7.26)…over a full season, a 9.13 RSA would signify the highest mark for any qualified MLB hurler since the stat was tracked in 1974…Derek Holland currently owns the highest full-season qualified RSA by a Ranger, boasting a 7.64 mark in 2011.
- TEX has backed him with 5+ R of support in 8 of his 12 starts this season, including double-digit runs of support twice (14 RS on 4/30, 11 RS on 5/7). 2023: Opps. have batted .285/.336/.444/.780 (77-270) with 22 extra-base hits (10 HR, 3B, 11 2B), incl. opp. BA’s of .341 (14-41) vs. LHB and .275 (63- 229) vs. RHB…3.59 pitches per batter faced is lowest mark in A.L./2nd-lowest among ML qualifiers (3.54-MIA’s Sandy Alcantara)…opp. BA by time thru the order: 1st (.221, 21-95), 2nd (.320, 32-100), 3rd (.329, 24-73), 4th (0-2)…Jonah Heim has caught all 12 of Pérez’s starts…in win 5/24 at PIT, recorded season-high 15 ground balls, 2 of which resulted in GIDP’s…held Buccos scoreless over final 5.0 frames…tossed season-high 104 pitches in ultra-quality start on 5/19 vs. COL (7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R-ER, 0 BB, 7 SO).
TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:
RUBBER MATCH IN MIND — The Rays saw their seven-game win streak come to an end yesterday afternoon, dropping game two of the three-game set with the Rangers, 8-4…RHP Taj Bradley took the loss after allowing five runs (4 earned) on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts…C Francisco Mejía (2-for-4, 2B, HR, 3RBI) extended his season-best hitting streak to five games dating back to 5/30, during which he is batting .444 (8-for-18) with two doubles, one homer and 4 RBI.
LHP Jose Lopéz (2.0IP, 3H, ER, BB, 2SO) made his major league debut in the sixth inning, becoming the fifth player to make their MLB debut with the Rays this season, joining RHP Kevin Kelly (4/1 vs. DET), RHP Taj Bradley (4/12 vs. BOS), RHP Braden Bristo (4/13 vs. BOS) and LHP Joe La Sorsa (5/29 at CHC).
Texas SS Corey Seager went 5-for-5 with one double, one HR, 4 RBI and two runs in yesterday’s game…he became the second player to record five hits against the Rays this season, joining TOR Bo Bichette on 4/14 and the first visiting player to do so since BAL Jorge Mateo on 8/12/22.
SUGAR SHANE — LHP Shane McClanahan takes the mound today looking to become the first 10-game winner in MLB this season…the southpaw curently paces the majors with a 2.02 ERA (75.2IP, 17ER) while his nine wins are tied with TEX Nathan Eovaldi.
In six starts this season at Tropicana Field, McClanahan is 4-0 with a 1.22 ERA (37.0IP, 5ER), striking out 48 batters against nine walks while holding opponents to a .180 average (24-for-133).
His 2.02 ERA is the third lowest by a Rays starter through 13 starts in franchise history, trailing his own 1.84 ERA last season and Chris Archer (1.84 ERA in 2015).
RANDY LAND — Randy Arozarena has reached base safely in 27 consecutive home games dating back to 4/12, slashing .293/.455/.573 (24-for-82) with three doubles, one triple, 6 HR and 19 RBI…it is the longest active home on-base streak in the AL and trails only COL Jurickson Profar (29G) for the MLB lead.
Arozarena is one of nine players in Rays franchise history reach base safely in at least 27 consecutive home games and the first since Yandy Díaz reached base safely in 28 straight home games from 7/21/19-4/28/21.
SOUTHPAW SUCCESS — The Rays are 10-3 (.769) when facing left-handed starting pitchers this season, the best winning pct. in MLB ahead of Atlanta (11-5, .688).
Tampa Bay ranks among MLB leaders against left-handed pitching in SLG (2nd, .542), OPS (2nd, .892), HR (T4th, 27), AVG (5th, .302) and OBP (5th, .363).
Harold Ramírez has a .721 slugging percentage against left-handed pitching, the highest mark among AL batters (min. 40 PA vs. LHP).
HISTORY AT HOME — Tampa Bay’s 30-7 (.811) record at Tropicana Field marks MLB’s best start at home since the 1998 New York Yankees (31-6)…the Rays are one of seven teams since 1901 to win at least 30 of their first 37 home games (excluding ties) in a season… have won eight of 10, 12 of 16, and 16 of their last 21 home games overall.
Tampa Bay hitters rank among MLB leaders at home in several categories, including stolen bases (1st, 47), total bases (1st, 577), extra-base hits (1st, 139), homers (T1st, 61), SLG (2nd, .486), runs per game (2nd, 5.81) and OPS (3rd, .825).
EARNING OUR STRIPES — The Rays have gone 21-13 (.618) against teams that currently have a record of .500 or better, the best mark in the majors, ahead of Texas (15-11, .577).
Entering the current three-game series against Texas, it marked the first game on June 1 or later (excluding 2020) in which Tampa Bay had the best record in the majors and its opponent held the second-best mark in the league since 9/14/10 vs. New York-AL (Elias)…entering play on 9/4/10, the Rays were 87-56 (.608) and the Yankees were 87-57 (.604).
PITCHING PROWESS — Rays starters have recorded a 2.25 ERA (60.0IP, 15ER) over the club’s last 12 games, the best mark in MLB during that span (since 5/29), ahead of Chicago-NL (2.41)…this season, Tampa Bay’s rotation paces the majors in ERA (2.99), opp. average (.221), opp. OBP (.280), opp. SLG (.359) and opp. OPS (.640).
Tampa Bay’s bullpen has registered a 1.99 ERA (31.2IP, 7ER) over its last eight games, striking out 36 batters against 15 walks while limiting opposing hitters to a .145 average (16-for-110) during that span.
BAG BANDITS — The Rays have stolen 34 consecutive bases without being caught dating back to 5/22, the longest streak in club history…they had achieved the previous mark of 21 straight steals on two separate occasions (6/3-27, 2007 & 7/1-23, 2010)…according to Elias, the last major league club to steal 34 straight bases was Cleveland (36SB) from 8/11-9/17, 2021…the Rays have been successful on 48 of their last 50 stolen base attempts (96.0%) overall since 5/14 after opening the season 38-for-52 (73.1%).
Tampa Bay’s 86 stolen bases are the most by any major league club through 67 games since the 2009 Rays (106SB).
The Rays have 11 games with 3+ stolen bases this season after having seven such games last season…the last Rays team to accomplish the feat was the 2018 club, who also had 11 games with 3+ steals.
TIMELY HITTING — Tampa Bay is batting .291 (77-for-265) with runners in scoring position and two outs, the second-highest average in MLB behind Texas (.302)…the Rays have hit 14 HR with RISP/2 outs, tied with Los Angeles-NL for the most in the majors, while their 119 RBI are second most behind Texas (122).
THE BAY BOMBERS — The Rays have hit a 111 home runs, tied with Los Angeles-NL for the most in the majors…the 111 homers are tied for the seventh-most long balls through a club’s first 67 games in MLB history (since 1901).
The Rays have 33 multi-HR games, tied for the MLB lead with Los Angeles-NL and New York-AL…they are 28-5 (.848) in those contests…this includes 16 games with 3+ homers, most in the AL and trailing only Los Angeles-NL (19G) in all of MLB.
Tampa Bay has an MLB-best eight players with 9+ HR, led by Randy Arozarena and Yandy Díaz with 12 HR apiece…the next closest team is Los Angeles-NL with seven players…there are currently eight teams in MLB that have only one player with 9+ HR (BOS, CLE, COL, MIA, OAK, PHI, PIT, WSH).
The Rays reached 100 homers in their 54th game of the season, becoming the fifth-fastest team to reach the milestone in MLB history (since 1901).
TEXAS TWO-STEP — Tampa Bay and Texas conclude a three-game weekend series, each looking for a rubber-match victory…the Rays went 4-3 against the Rangers last season, including a 2-1 mark at Tropicana Field.
The Rays have won five of their last seven from the Rangers dating back to 6/1/22.
TODAY’S STARTER: LHP SHANE McCLANAHAN (9-1, 2.02)
TODAY’S START—The southpaw closes out Tampa Bay’s six-game homestand with his 14th start, including his seventh at Tropicana Field… has gone 4-0 with a 1.22 ERA (37.0IP, 5ER) in six home starts…his 2.02 ERA is third lowest through a pitcher’s first 13 starts of a season in club history, behind Chris Archer in 2015 (1.84) and himself in 2022 (1.84)… ranks among AL leaders in ERA (1st), whiff rate (1st, 33.6%), wins (T1st, 9) and strikeouts (7th, 82).
LAST TIME OUT — McClanahan became the first nine-game winner in the majors after holding the Red Sox to one run over 6.0 frames on 6/5 at Fenway Park (6.0IP, 5H, ER, 2BB, 5SO)…his lone blemish was a Justin Turner solo homer in his final inning of work…recorded a 47.0 pct. whiff rate (15 swings, 7 whiffs) on his slider, his most swing-and-misses on the slider in any outing this season (prev. 6 on 4/22 vs. CWS).
MY FIRST RODEO — Today’s outing will mark McClanahan’s first career appearance opposite Texas…excluding Tampa Bay, the Rangers are the only AL club he has not pitched against.
In his 11 career starts against the AL West, he is 2-3 with a 3.38 ERA (56.0IP, 21ER), holding opponents to a .198 average (40-for-202) while recording 10.93 SO/9,0 IP…today’s outing will mark his first against an AL West club this season.
ON TOP AT THE TROP — The Rays are undefeated (6-0) in McClanahan’s home starts, with the southpaw going 4-0 with a 1.22 ERA (37.0IP, 5ER) in those games…Tampa Bay has also not lost a home game started by Zach Eflin (7-0) — prior to 2023, the Rays longest streak of consecutive wins in a pitcher’s home starts to open a season was five (4x, last: Drew Rasmussen, 4/9-5/25, 2022).
He ranks among MLB’s home leaders (min. 35.0IP) in ERA (2nd, 1.22), wins (T3rd, 4), strikeout rate (4th, 33.8%), opp. average (6th, .180), opp. OPS (6th, .526), hits per 9.0 IP (7th, 5.84) and WHIP (9th, 0.89)
McClanahan has turned in 5.0+ innings with two or fewer runs in six straight home starts, the longest active streak in the AL.
BUCKLE DOWN — McClanahan is holding the opposition to a .118 (6-for51) average with zero extra-base hits with runners in scoring position, including a .063 (1-for-16) average at home…it marks the third-lowest opp. average with RISP among qualified pitchers, trailing NYY Domingo Germán (.111) and TEX Jon Gray (.111)…with RISP and two outs, opposing hitters are just 1-for-23 (.043) against McClanahan, the lowest mark among qualified pitchers.
NO FREE RIDES — After posting an 11.6 pct. walk rate over his first nine starts, McClanahan has produced a 5.2 pct. walk rate over his last four outings…during the four-start run, he has pitched to a 1.40 ERA (25.2IP, 4ER) with a 1.01 WHIP; his 5.20 SO/BB ratio in that timeframe (since 5/19) ranks eighth in the AL (min. 95BF)…prior to the current stretch, he had issued a career-high-tying four walks in back-to-back starts (5/8-13).
A MODEL OF CONSISTENCY — McClanahan’s nine quality starts are tied for fifth most in the AL…his 12 starts with 5.0+ innings and two or fewer runs allowed are tied with CHC Marcus Stroman for most in the majors.
The Rays are 11-2 in his starts, the best team record through a pitcher’s first 13 starts in club history (prev. 10-3, 3x, last: Matt Moore in 2013)…he is also the first pitcher in Rays history to win nine of his first 10 decisions in a season.
WHIFF YOU PLEASE — McClanahan’s 33.6 pct. whiff rate ranks third in the majors behind ATL Spencer Strider (39.4%) and MIA Edward Cabrera (33.7%)…opponents are swinging at 32.7 pct. of his pitches outside of the strike zone, the ninth-highest chase rate in the AL…McClanahan has also been effective on pitches inside the zone, recording the fifth-highest inzone whiff pct. in the majors (24.0%).
He has registered a 52.3 pct. whiff rate on his changeup, the third-highest mark on any pitch in MLB (min. 200 pitches thrown)…trails only NYM Kodai Senga’s forkball (59.8%) and Strider’s slider (56.8%).
WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK — McClanahan’s 7.26 runs of support per 9.0 IP rank fourth in the majors, trailing TEX Martín Pérez (9.74), TEX Nathan Eovaldi (7.48) and ATL Spencer Strider (7.33).
In his career, the Rays are 31-4 when providing him with 3+ runs of support, compared to 10-21 with two or fewer runs of support.
