Shane McClanahan threw two innings in his 2022 Grapefruit League debut, and Joe Hudson and Miles Mastrobuoni each drove in three runs, but the Tampa Bay Rays could again only manage a stalemate with the defending World Series champions, finishing Wednesday’s game with a 7-all tie with the Atlanta Braves.
McClanahan allowed four hits and struck out three in his outing, but fell behind 2-0 in the second as both Austin Riley and Dansby Swanson each hit a solo homer off the left-hander.
Riley added a two-run blast off reliever Matt Wisler in the fifth to extend the deficit to 4-0.
The Rays struggled against the first four pitchers of the afternoon, failing to get a run across on starter Kyke Wright, Darren O’Day, Sean Newcomb, and A.J. Minter, but finally broke through in the eighth. Evan Edwards started with a base hit off Brandon Brennan, and Niko Hulsizer followed with a walk. Connor Hollis‘ groundout moved the runners up a base, and Hudson’s single drove both in to cut the lead back to 4-2. Mastrobuoni followed three batters later with a sacrifice fly that plated Hudson to make it a one-run game.
Atlanta scored a run in the bottom of the eighth for insurance, but Tampa Bay responded with four more runs in the top of the ninth with another RBI single by Hudson to make it 5-4, a RBI single by Tristan Gray to tie the game, and a two-run double by Mastrobuoni to give the Rays their first lead of the day.
But Miller Hogan couldn’t hold the lead, and Trey Harris‘ RBI single followed an RBI groundout by Greyson Janista that allowed the Braves to salvage the tie.
Tampa Bay (0-4-2) gets back on the field Thursday in Fort Myers against the Minnesota Twins. Right-hander Drew Rasmussen is scheduled to make his spring debut, taking on Bailey Ober. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
