Corey Kluber gave up a first-inning run then nothing else, while the Tampa Bay Rays scratched across runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to come from behind and defeat the New York Yankees, 3-1. They will look to split the series this afternoon.
At 27-19 on the season, the Rays enter play eight games above .500.
Corey Kluber got the start against the Bronx Bummers and allowed a run on three hits and struck out five in six innings versus the Yankees on Saturday. Kluber alternated effective and short starts during May, ending the month on a high note with one of his best outings of the ’22 campaign. The only run against him came on an Anthony Rizzo sacrifice fly in the first inning. The right-hander retired 16 of his last 17 batters faced and threw 54 of 80 pitches for strikes (68% strike rate). Overall, the Rays retired 25 of the final 27 Yankees hitters. Kluber maintains a 4.03 ERA and 3.53 FIP on the season (a pair of bad games have inflated his numbers), with a 1.19 WHIP, and a 5.25 K/BB across 44.2 innings across (nine starts).
As good as Kluber was, Gerrit Cole was practically unhittable until the sixth inning when the Rays finally broke through. Down by a run, Tampa Bay drew even in Gerrit Cole’s final frame. After retiring the first two batters, Cole walked Ji-Man Choi and Wander Franco (on four pitches), then allowed a bloop RBI single to left off the bat of Randy Arozarena, tying the contest at one. Manuel Margot grounded out to short, keeping the game tied.
Tampa Bay finally took a lead in the set, and it only took 25 innings to do so. Kevin Kiermaier sparked the seventh-inning rally by lining a single to right-center against southpaw Lucas Leutge, while Francisco Mejia followed with a bloop double that just stayed fair in right. The Rays don’t typically try to force a play at the plate when there are none out, however, Kiermaier broke for home when pinch-hitter Harold Ramirez grounded to first. As a consequence, the Outlaw was thrown out at the plate by Anthony Rizzo.
Enter Michael King. The right-hander got Taylor Walls to ground into a 4-6 fielder’s choice. Yet, because Walls busted it out of the batter’s box, he was able to avoid the double play, subsequently putting runners at the corners. Yandy Diaz capped the rally by hitting a chopper to third, then beating it out for a run-scoring infield hit and a lead Tampa Bay would never relinquish.
Prior to the go-ahead rally, JP Feyereisen put together a perfect inning with a pair of strikeouts in the top of the frame. Jason Adam followed in the eighth and allowed just a soft two-out single to Isiah Kiner-Falefa before punching out pinch-hitter, Aaron Hicks.
Finally, Tampa Bay added an insurance run in the bottom of the frame against King. Wander Franco led things off with a triple to right before Manuel Margot extended his hit streak to 15 with a one-out RBI single to right. Margot is now 13-26 in the eighth inning or later, with a large chunk of his 23 RBI coming in late-game situations. While I still don’t believe in clutchness as a statistic, Margot has been insanely consistent in go-ahead run opportunities this season.
Colin Poche took the mound in the ninth and put together a perfect frame to earn his second save of the season.
The New What Next
Shane McClanahan (4-2, 2.06 ERA) will get the start in the series finale, pitching opposite Luis Severino (3-0, 3.02 ERA) in yet another marquee pitching matchup.
Shane McClanahan got the start Monday against the Marlins and tossed six shutout frames, scattering four hits and two walks while striking out nine. He threw 64 of 96 pitches for strikes (67% strike rate). That being said, McClanahan did face a few challenges in his outing.
After allowing a one-out hit in the second, he collected a pair of punchouts (Jesus Sanchez looking, Erik Gonzalez swinging) to get out of the threat.
McClanahan also coaxed a pair of double plays; one after a one-out hit in the third, and the other in the sixth. After allowing two base hits, the left-hander got Jorge Soler to bounce into a 5-4-3 double play. He is 0-2 with a 5.84 ERA in three career starts against the Yankees.
Luis Severino struck out five across seven shutout innings while allowing eight hits and hitting two batters on Sunday against the White Sox. Despite allowing 10 baserunners, Severino held the South Sider scoreless by getting out of a number of jams, including loading the bases with no outs in the fifth. It was his longest outing since 2018 and the fourth consecutive start where he’s thrown more than 90 pitches. Overall, Severino maintains a 3.02 ERA and 3.66 FIP, with a 1.18 WHIP, and a 3.91 K/BB across 41.2 innings on the season. He relies primarily on a 97 mph four-seam fastball, a 90 mph changeup, and an 86 mph slider that has short glove-side cut, while also mixing in a whiffy 92 mph cutter. Across his career, the right-hander is 8-2 with a 3.11 ERA across 14 outings (10 starts) against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (2-4, BB), Mike Zunino (1-4, 2B, BB)
You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup is below.
Rays 5/29/22 Starting Lineup
- Kiermaier CF
- Díaz 1B
- Franco SS
- Choi DH
- Margot LF
- Walls 3B
- Phillips RF
- Zunino C
- Bruján 2B