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Rays report: Shane McClanahan on mound hoping to tame Tigers

Tampa Bay’s top starter is coming off a dominant outing Wednesday against Shohei Ohtani.
Rays starter Shane McClanahan is coming off a dominant start Wednesday against the Angels in which he outdueled Shohei Ohtani.
Rays starter Shane McClanahan is coming off a dominant start Wednesday against the Angels in which he outdueled Shohei Ohtani. [ MARK J. TERRILL | AP ]
Published May 17, 2022

Looking for a spark after a frustrating loss Monday and news that they’ll be without slugger Brandon Lowe for at least a month, the Rays will send top starter Shane McClanahan to the mound tonight to face the Tigers.

McClanahan is coming off a dominant start Wednesday against the Angels in which he outdueled Shohei Ohtani, striking out 11 over seven shutout innings while allowing only three hits.

For the season, the USF product is 2-2 with a 2.52 ERA in seven starts with an American League-best strikeout rate of 38.3 percent and an AL-co-leading 58 strikeouts.

McClanahan faced the Tigers once last year, allowing one run over five innings, but took a loss.

Manager Kevin Cash again voiced concern about the Rays’ lack of offense, saying that with Lowe and Manuel Margot sidelined by injuries, other hitters will need to step up.

“I think everybody’s got to kind of do their part a little bit,” Cash said. “And that’s generally what it takes. It wouldn’t be fair to put it on one guy. We’re fully capable of turning it around. And we could do it tonight. I hope they do.”

Here is the Rays’ lineup:

And for the Tigers, who have won a season-high four straight:

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