The Tampa Bay Rays became the second team this year to hold their opponent without a hit in a seven-inning game (which Major League Baseball has ruled is not a no-hitter), as Collin McHugh and four relievers combined to shut out the Cleveland Indians hitters, and Taylor Walls and Yandy Diaz each drove in a pair to lead to a 4-0 whitewashing and a sweep of Wednesday’s doubleheader.
McHugh retired all six batters he faced consecutively over two innings of work, with three strikeouts, before Tampa Bay got on the board in the bottom of the second off Sam Hentges, as Francisco Mejia doubled, and after a walk to Mike Brosseau, Walls brought in the Rays catcher with a base hit.
Josh Fleming took over to begin the third, and thought he had allowed a hit in the inning when Walls and Wander Franco collided going after a ground ball by Oscar Mercado, but official scorer Tim Clodjeaux, who initially ruled the play a hit, changed it to an error on Franco the following inning.
In the home fourth, Brosseau extended the inning against Hentges with a two-out double, and Walls again singled to make it 2-0.
The Rays added two more runs an inning later, as Hentges allowed a leadoff walk to Randy Arozarena and an infield hit to Wander Franco, and after Austin Meadows grounded out, moving both runners up a base, indians manager Terry Francona brought in right-hander Nick Sandlin to face Diaz, and the first baseman greeted him with a two-run single to right.
Fleming would leave two outs into the fifth after walking pinch-hitter Owen Miller, and Diego Castillo would get Mercado to ground out to end the inning. Matt Wisler worked around a two-out walk to Cesar Hernandez in the sixth, and Pete fairbanks worked a 1-2-3 seventh, with Vidal Brujan running down Harold Ramirez‘s fly ball to right at the wall to end the game.
The Rays, who finish off a sweep of the three-game series and have now won four straight overall, join Madison Bumgarner of the Arizonza Diamondbacks in throwing a seven-inning “notable achievement” (the term Elias Sports Bureau is using for allowing no hits in a seven-inning contest) this season and are the first team in history to use multiple pitchers in their achievement.
Tampa Bay will have Thursday off before welcoming the Toronto Blue Jays to Tropicana Field for a three-game series beginning Friday. Shane McClanahan (3-3, 4.18 ERA) will get the start in Friday’s opener, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10.