Shane McClanahan became the first pitcher to reach six wins this season, and Wander Franco and Josh Lowe each homered as Tampa Bay earned a series victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 8-1 win Wednesday at Tropicana Field.
Pittsburgh started the scoring in the third, as McClanahan allowed a solo homer to Andrew McCutchen, his sixth of the season for a 1-0 lead.
But the Pirates’ lead would not last, as Tampa Bay would use a two-out rally to first tie the game, as Rodolfo Castro’s fielding error on a Harold Ramirez ground ball allowed Yandy Diaz to score, then a two-run double by Brandon Lowe to break the tie.
The Rays added two more unearned runs in the fifth thanks to an error by Ji Hwan Bae and a base hit by Ramirez.
Josh Lowe and Franco would add solo homers in the sixth and seventh, respectively, pushing the lead to 7-1, and Luke Raley’s double in the eighth capped the scoring.
McClanahan (6-0) would allow just two hits other than the McCutchen home run in six innings of work, while Chase Anderson, who was acquired by the Rays Wednesday morning, worked the final three innings scoreless to earn his first big-league save.
Tampa Bay can finish off a series sweep Thursday afternoon, with Zach Eflin (3-0, 3.00 ERA) taking on Vince Velasquez (4-2, 3.06 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10.
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.
