TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:
BATTLING THE ELEMENTS — Tampa Bay defeated Boston yesterday afternoon, 6-2, taking game three of the four-game set at Fenway Park…RHP Taj Bradley improved to 4-2 after tossing 5.0 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts…3B Yandy Díaz (2-for-5, RBI, R) collected his 18th multi-hit performance of the season, while 1B Luke Raley (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, R) extended his career-best on-base streak to 10 games.
After being reinstated from the 60-day IL on Saturday, RHP Shawn Armstrong made his season debut yesterday and closed out the win with 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing no hits while walking one hitter and tallying three strikeouts.
Since the beginning of the 2019 season, the Rays are 48-26 (.649) against the Red Sox, including a 21-13 (.618) mark at Fenway Park during that span…it is the most wins by any team against Boston during that span, ahead of New York-AL (45-22).
ON AND ON AND ON — Luke Raley has reached base safely in a career-high 10 straight games since 5/21, slashing .280/.455/.640 (7-for-25) with three doubles, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 10 runs, five walks, four steals and 3 HBP.
Yandy Díaz has reached base safely in 16 straight games against AL East opponents dating back to 4/15/23, batting .295 (18-for-61) with six doubles, 2 HR, 11 RBI and 12 runs during the streak.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN — The Rays have stolen 30 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 30 straight bases was Cleveland (36SB) from 8/11-9/17, 2021…the Rays have been successful on 44 of their last 46 stolen base attempts (95.6%) overall since 5/14 after opening the season 38-for-52 (73.1%).
Tampa Bay’s 82 stolen bases are the most by any major league club through 61 games since the 2009 Rays (93SB).
On the season, Tampa Bay leads the majors in both steals (82) and stolen base attempts (98) while ranking fifth in stolen base pct. (83.7%).
The Rays have an MLB-best six players with seven or more stolen bases, including Wander Franco (21SB), Taylor Walls (15SB), Josh Lowe (14SB), Randy Arozarena (7SB), Manuel Margot (7SB) and Luke Raley (7SB)…the next closest teams are Cleveland and Milwaukee with four players each.
NO MORE FREE PASSES — Tampa Bay pitchers have issued 43 walks over their last 10 games since 5/25, tied for the second most free passes allowed in MLB during that span behind Chicago-AL (50BB)…of the 43 walks, 27 have been issued by Rays relievers, the highest figure in MLB since 5/25.
Despite the 27 walks, Rays relievers have held opponents to a .203 average (28-for-138) while posting a 3.55 ERA (38.0IP, 15ER) during their last 10 games.
THE BOY WANDER — Wander Franco has hit safely in a season-best eight straight games, surpassing his seven-game run from 5/5-11…he is batting .484 (15-for-31) with two \doubles, one triple, 6 RBI and five walks against four strikeouts during the eight-game stretch…he also has seven stolen bases during the eight-game streak, bringing his season total to 21, third most in MLB behind OAK Esteury Ruiz (28SB) and ATL Ronald Acuña Jr. (26SB)…Franco recorded his 20th steal in his 55th game of the season, becoming the fastest Ray to reach the milestone since Carl Crawford (29G) and B.J. Upton (55G) in 2009.
He is batting .312 (34-for-109) with nine doubles, four triples, 6 HR, 23 RBI and 15 walks against 16 strikeouts in 29 career games against Boston…in 12 games at Fenway Park, he is hitting .356 (16-for-45) with two doubles, two triples, 2 HR and 6 RBI.
Franco’s 3.6 bWAR lead the majors, ahead of ATL Ronald Acuña Jr. (3.4).
In addition to ranking second among major league shortstops in average (.305) and third in OPS (.860), Franco leads all SS in defensive runs saved (9), ahead of CHC Dansby Swanson (8), BAL Jorge Mateo (7) and COL Ezequiel Tovar (7), according to FanGraphs.
THE BAY BOMBERS — The Rays have hit a major league-best 103 home runs, tied for the seventh-most long balls through a club’s first 61 games in MLB history (since 1901), trailing only the 1999 Seattle Mariners (121HR), 2019 Minnesota Twins (117HR), 2019 Seattle Mariners (105HR), 2000 St. Louis Cardinals (105HR), 1996 Seattle Mariners (105HR) and 2019 Milwaukee Brewers (104HR)…they reached 100 homers in their 54th game of the season, becoming the fifth-fastest team to reach the milestone in MLB history (since 1901).
The Rays have 30 multi-HR games, second most in the majors behind New York-AL (31); they are 25-5 in those contests…this includes 16 games with 3+ homers, most in the AL and trailing only Los Angeles-NL (18G); the Rays had 13 games with 3+ HR in 2022.
GAINING LEVERAGE — After pulling ahead 2-1 in the count, Rays batters lead the majors in AVG (1st, .276), HR (1st, 24), RBI (1st, 78), runs (1st, 24), SLG (1st, .529), OPS (1st, .958) and lowest strikeout pct. (18.7%)…after a first-pitch ball, Tampa Bay ranks among league leaders in OPS (1st, .418), SLG (1st, .540), OPS (1st, .958), HR (2nd, 43), runs (2nd, 43), RBI (2nd, 135) and batting average (3rd, .293).
Yandy Díaz has an AL-best .441 (15-for-34) batting average (min. 25 PA) following 2-1 counts, recording five doubles, 4 HR, 12 RBI, and 14 walks against 4 SO…under the same parameters, Randy Arozarena and Taylor Walls each have 4 HR, tied with Díaz and BOS Rafael Devers for most in the AL.
Following a 1-0 count, the Rays have four of the top 10 OPS leaders in the AL (min. 25PA), including Taylor Walls (1st, 1.410), Yandy Díaz (2nd, 1.280), Jose Siri (7th, 1.131) and Josh Lowe (10th, 1.116).
MAY FLOWERS — Tampa Bay went 17-12 (.586) in May after going 22-6 (.786) in April… Jose Siri had a team-best 8 HR in May, batting .254 (18-for-71) with one double, one triple, 13 RBI and 16 runs scored…Josh Lowe paced the club with 19 RBI while batting .271 (23- for-85) with five doubles, 6 HR and eight steals…Wander Franco had a team-best 32 hits, finishing the month hitting .296 (32-for-108) with three doubles, two triples, 2 HR and 12 RBI, including his current seven-game hitting streak.
At the conclusion of May, the Rays paced the majors in both home runs (103) and stolen bases (77)…per Elias, Tampa Bay became the first team since the since the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers (61HR, 21SB) to lead the majors outright in both homers and stolen bases at the end of May.
BEANTOWN REPORT—The Rays and Red Sox meet for the eighth time this year, with Tampa Bay holding a 6-1 lead in the season series…Tampa Bay swept Boston in a four-game set at Tropicana Field from 4/10-13, outscoring the Red Sox 26-12.
Tampa Bay has lost six of its last nine at Fenway Park dating back to 8/26/22.
TODAY’S STARTER: LHP SHANE McCLANAHAN (8-1, 2.07)
SUGAR SHANE — The southpaw closes out Tampa Bay’s seven-game road trip with his 13th start this afternoon in Boston, including his seventh on the road…his 2.07 ERA is fourth lowest through a pitcher’s first 12 starts of a season in club history…ranks among AL leaders in ERA (1st), wins (T1st, 8), strikeouts (T6th, 82) and opp. average (T9th, .208)…his 11 starts with 5.0+ IP and two or fewer runs allowed are tied with CHC Marcus Stroman for most in the majors.
LAST TIME OUT — McClanahan took his first loss of the season in the Rays 2-1 setback at Chicago-NL’s Wrigley Field on 5/30 (5.2IP, 6H, 2ER, 2BB, 7SO, HR)…yielded a homer to Nico Hoerner on his first pitch of the game and an RBI-single in the sixth inning to conclude his outing…the loss snapped his career-best eight-game winning streak to open the season, marking his first defeat since 10/1/22 at Houston.
SHANE AND THE SOX — Today will mark McClanahan’s seventh career start against Boston; he is 4-1 with a 2.36 ERA (34.1IP, 9ER) while holding Red Sox hitters to a .208/.261/.256 (26-for-125) line in his previous six outings…last season, he went 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA (18.1IP, 4ER), 22 strikeouts and four walks in three starts opposite Boston, all at Tropicana Field…in his lone career regular season start at Fenway Park on 9/8/21, he threw 5.0 scoreless frames, permitting three hits (5.0IP, 3H, 0R, BB, 3SO).
McClanahan is 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA (28.0IP, 7ER) and a .188 opp. average (19-for-101) in five starts against the AL East this season… for his career, he is 15-6 with a 2.65 (159.2IP, 47ER) in 29 starts against the division, marking the lowest ERA against the AL East among
active starters (min. 25GS), ahead of TOR Alek Manoah (2.66).
BUCKLE DOWN — He has limited opposing hitters to a 1-for-22 clip (.045) with runners in scoring position and two outs…overall, McClanahan is
holding the opposition to a .122 (6-for-49) average with a 35.8 pct. strikeout rate with runners in scoring position…it marks the third-lowest such average among qualified pitchers, trailing HOU Cristian Javier (.114) and TEX Jon Gray (.118).
NO FREE RIDES — After posting an 11.6 pct. walk rate over his first nine starts, McClanahan has produced a 3.9 pct. walk rate over his last three outings…during the three-start run, he has pitched to a 1.37 ERA (19.2IP, 3ER) with a 0.97 WHIP; his 7.00 SO/BB ratio in that timeframe ranks third in the AL (min. 75BF), trailing CWS Michael Kopech (9.50) and SEA George Kirby (8.50)…prior to the current stretch, he had issued a career-high-tying four walks in back-to-back starts (5/8-5/13).
WHIFF YOU PLEASE — McClanahan’s 34.1 pct. whiff rate ranks second in the majors behind ATL Spencer Strider (39.7%)…opponents are swinging at
33.4 pct. of his pitches outside of the strike zone, the eighth-highest chase rate in the AL…McClanahan has also been effective on pitches inside the zone, recording the second-highest in-zone whiff pct. in MLB (24.7%), trailing only Strider (30.3%).
He has registered a 52.6 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 (58.8%) and Strider’s slider (54.7%)
WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK — McClanahan’s 7.36 runs of support per 9.0 IP rank second in the majors behind TEX Martín Pérez (9.74)…last season, his 3.73 run support average ranked 20th among AL qualifiers.
In his career, the Rays are 30-4 when providing him with 3+ runs of support, compared to 10-21 with two or fewer runs of support.
MR. 400 — On 5/19 vs. Milwaukee, McClanahan’s fourth-inning strikeout of Willy Adames was the 400th of his career…he became the fastest pitcher in club history to reach 400 strikeouts by both games (63G) and innings pitched (343.1IP), according to Elias…the previous record holders for each respective category were Scott Kazmir (68G) and Blake Snell (373.1IP).
COLLECTING W’S — The Rays won each of McClanahan’s first eight starts of the season, the longest season-opening winning streak in a pitcher’s starts in club history…McClanahan’s personal eight-game winning streak from 3/30-5/24 was the longest of his career and tied for third longest by a starting pitcher in club history, trailing Matt Moore (9GS, 9/29/12-5/19/23) and Blake Snell (9GS, 8/10-9/23, 2018).
BOSTON RED SOX NOTES:
STATE OF THE SOX: The Red Sox lost each of their last 2 games…They are 6-9 in their last 15 and 10-15 in their last 25. The Sox are 2-4 so far on their 7-game homestand vs. CIN (1-2) and TB (1-2)…Tomorrow begins a 6-game road trip to CLE (3 games) and NYY (3). At 30-29 (.508), the Sox rank 5th in the AL East and are 5.0 games back from the AL’s 3rd Wild Card spot.
SERIES BUSINESS: With a win today, the Red Sox would split the series to make them 11-6-2 in series play (6-4-1 at home). With a loss today, the Red Sox would fall to 11-7-1 in series play, including 6-4-0 at home. The Sox are 3-3-1 in their last 7 series, beginning 5/9. They are 7-3-0 in series against AL opponents.
SOX & RAYS: The Red Sox are 1-6 against the Rays this season…They’re 26-48 vs. TB since the start of 2019, their most losses to any opponent in that span. The Sox have lost back-to-back home games vs. TB after winning 6 of their previous 7…They’re 7-5 vs. TB at Fenway Park since the start of 2022. After this series, the clubs won’t meet until September, when they play a 3-game series in St. Petersburg from 9/4-6 and a 2-game series in Boston from 9/26-27.
EASTERN STANDARD: The Red Sox are 7-3 against AL East opponents at Fenway Park this season, compared to 1-6 on the road. The Sox had won both of their previous home series against AL East teams (2-2-0 overall)…They defeated BAL in a season-opening 3-game series from 3/30-4/2 (2-1) and swept TOR in a 4-game series from 5/1-4. n 2022, In they didn’t win their 2nd series against an AL East opponent until 8/14 (began 1-11-1).
GETTING BUSY: After Friday’s game was postponed and rescheduled for today, the Red Sox are now in a span of 13 games in 12 days, from 6/3-14 (1-2 so far). The Sox are in a span of 26 games in 27 days, from 5/30-6/25 (2-4 so far), including 23 games in 23 days from 6/3-25. 3 of the Sox’ next 5 series (10 of 16 games from 6/3-18) are against AL East opponents…Just 1 of their 9 series from 4/28-6/1 were within the division (5/1-4 vs. TOR).
TOUGH TEST: The Red Sox have played 38 games against teams with a current winning percentage of .500 or better, 4th most in MLB (TOR-22, TB-39, SF-39). The Red Sox are 18-20 (.474) against teams that currently have a .500 winning percentage or better. 7 of the Sox’ 10 series from 6/2-7/6, are against opponents who are currently above .500 (vs. TB, at NYY, vs. NYY, at MIN, vs. MIA, at TOR, vs. TEX).
COMEBACK KIDS: The Red Sox have 17 come-from-behind wins this season, tied for 3rd most in MLB (BAL-20, NYM-18). They have trailed in each of their last 3 wins.
CLOSE SHAVES: 6 of the Red Sox last 8 games have been decided by 3 runs or fewer, including 3 one-run games and 2 two-run games.
The Sox have played 27 games decided by 2 runs or fewer (13-14 record). Boston’s 10 losses by 1 run are tied for 4th most in the AL behind CLE (16), SEA (12), and MIN (11).
UPS AND DOWNS: The Red Sox have been held to 2 runs or fewer in 9 of their last 19 games, including each of the last 2, compared to just 8 of their first 40 games. The Sox have a .235 AVG/.312 OBP in their last 15 games, after entering that span with a .272 AVG/.342 OBP. With a loss today, the Red Sox would have a .500 record for the 1st time since 4/29 (14-14).
RED SOX OFFENSE
Dates Record AVG OPS Runs/Game
3/30-4/13 5-8 .235 .731 5.5
4/14-5/6 16-6 .295 .840 6.2
5/7-22 9-15 .247 .715 4.1
SLUGGING SOX: The Red Sox lead MLB in doubles (134) and rank top 5 in runs (4th, 305), AVG (5th, .263), OBP (3rd, .335), SLG (5th, .432), and OPS (5th, .767). The Sox rank 3rd in the AL and 6th in MLB in SO% (20.9).
FOUR SCORE AND…: The Red Sox are 28-10 when they score 4 or more runs, compared to 2-19 when they don’t. The Sox’ 38 games with 4+ runs scored are tied for 3rd most in the AL behind TB (44) and TEX (41). They have scored 4+ runs in 4 of their last 6 games, after doing so in just 1 of their previous 7 games.
THE BIG INNING: The Red Sox scored 5+ runs in 11 innings this season, 3rd most in MLB behind TEX (18) and TB (12). The Sox have scored 5+ runs in an inning 5 times in their last 16 games, beginning 5/17 vs. SEA…They scored 6 runs in the 6th inning of Game 1 on Saturday to turn a 4-1 deficit into a 7-4 lead.
EXTRA, EXTRA: The Red Sox have hit 26 XBH in 6 games during the current homestand, after hitting 21 XBH over their 9-game road trip from 5/19-28. BOS ranks 3rd in the AL and T-4th in MLB in XBH (205). The Sox have hit 4 or more XBH in 29 games, tied for 3rd most in MLB behind LAD (35) and TB (31).
HOME COOKING: The Red Sox are 17-15 at Fenway Park…They’re 4-8 in their last 12 games at the venue, after going 11-3 in their previous 14.
RED SOX IN HOME GAMES
Stat MLB Rank
5.9 R/game 3rd
10.2 H/game 1st
4.0 XBH/game 2nd
121 wRC+ 4th
Stat MLB Rank
.290 AVG 2nd
.358 OBP 2nd
.477 SLG 3rd
.836 OPS 3rd
RUNNIN’ RED SOX: The Red Sox rank 2nd in the AL and 4th in MLB in SB% (84.6%, 33-for-39). The Sox ranked 22nd in MLB with a 72.2 SB% in 2022.
ON THE MEND: Adam Duvall has played in 5 games on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester, making 4 starts in CF and 1 as the DH. In his last 3 games with the WooSox, Duvall is 3-for-10 with 2 HR, a double, 3 RBI, and 3 BB.
TODAY’S STARTER: 66 BRAYAN BELLO – RHP
W-L ERA G GS IP ER HR BB SO WHIP AVG
2023 3-3 3.89 8 8 39.1 17 7 14 41 1.47 .280
CAREER 5-11 4.38 21 19 96.2 47 8 41 96 1.66 .301
Allowed 1 run over 4.0 IP on Tuesday vs. CIN (5 H, 2 BB, 4 SO). Has allowed 9 ER over 32.0 IP in his last 6 starts (2.59 ERA), after giving up 8 ER over 7.1 IP in his first 2 starts (9.82 ERA). Has allowed 6 or fewer hits and 2 or fewer ER in 6 consecutive outings…Is the 1st BOS pitcher under the age of 25 to record 6 straight starts with 2 or fewer ER allowed since Eduardo Rodriguez (5/20-6/17/18; also 6 starts). Owns a 10.13 ERA (9 ER/8.0 IP) with 7 SO in 2 career starts vs. TB. Only 9 of the 120 batted balls against him in 2023 have been barrelled (7.5%). In his MLB career, opponents are 18-for-117 (.153) with 16 singles and 2 doubles against his changeup (9-for-40 with 17 SO in 2023).
