Sports
Rays' Shane McClanahan puts stellar streak on line vs. Marlins
May 31, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan (18) throws a pitch during the second inning against Los Angeles Angels at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images The Tampa Bay Rays will turn to their most reliable pitcher of late when left-hander Shane McClanahan takes the mound Saturday afternoon in the second contest of a three-game series against the host Miami Marlins.
McClanahan (6-2, 2.45 ERA) will have a tough act to follow after Drew Rasmussen frustrated the Marlins, tossing seven shutout innings in a 6-0 win on Friday.
Miami trailed 3-0 after the first inning and could produce just one hit against Rasmussen, who retired 17 straight batters at one point.
The Marlins managed just two hits overall, including a ninth-inning bunt single by Esteury Ruiz, and a walk. The club was hitless in its lone at-bat with runners in scoring position.
“It’s one of those nights you tip your cap (to Rasmussen),” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said of the right-hander’s dominant nine-strikeout outing. “His ability to execute and locate his fastball. … I think our first 2-0 count in the whole game was in the eighth inning with two outs.
“We just didn’t have an answer, but a lot of that is just him executing at a really high rate. We just never got into any kind of a threat. … We couldn’t combat his fastball.”
Three of McClanahan’s first four starts lasted fewer than five innings, and the production was mediocre or just downright poor in all three. He still was getting accustomed to being back on the mound after missing more than full two seasons due to injuries.
However, starting with the Rays’ 6-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on April 25, McClanahan has been incredibly sharp.
After winning four of six starts and posting a 1.41 ERA in May, the left-hander is 5-0 with a 1.22 ERA dating back to beating the Twins.
Over those 37 innings, McClanahan has allowed just five runs, 24 hits and one home run. His good work has resulted in 35 strikeouts and eight walks.
He’s not his old self, lasering triple-digit fastballs by hitters. as the 29-year-old is more pitcher than flamethrower these days, post-injuries.
“I’m still pretty hard on myself,” he said. “I think that kind of makes me who I am just as a competitor. … I’m not going to go out there and try and be average or mediocre and just accept anything but my best.”
McClanahan has been exceptional in two career starts against the Marlins, posting a 2-0 record and a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings. He has given up one run on 10 hits while striking out a dozen batters and walking three.
He has not pitched against the Marlins since 2022.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said outfielder Chandler Simpson, who left Friday’s game after the second inning, has a bruised left thumb and is day-to-day.
Miami’s Lake Bachar (0-0, 3.45) will make his 20th appearance and second start Sunday when he serves as the opener in a bullpen game.
The right-hander started Tuesday and tossed 2 2/3 hitless and scoreless innings against the Washington Nationals. He struck out three batters and walked one.
In three career relief appearances against the Rays, Bachar has a 6.00 ERA without a decision over three innings.
McCullough said Ryan Gusto, the opener on Friday, would be the only reliever unavailable out of the bullpen on Saturday.
“We’re in a really good spot (Saturday) coming off the off day,” McCullough said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jimmy Crooks homer lifts Cards to rain-delayed win over Braves
Jul 10, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Blaze Jordan (33) hits a double against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jimmy Crooks hit a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning on Friday to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves.
After a rain delay of nearly three hours in the top of the fourth derailed the game, Crooks hit his second home run of the season off Atlanta’s Danny Young (0-1) to help the Cardinals claim the series opener. Kyle Leahy threw three scoreless frames, surrendering a single and striking out two for St. Louis before being replaced by George Soriano after the delay.
JoJo Romero (1-2) tossed a perfect eighth inning to earn the win, and first-time All-Star Riley O’Brien posted his 23rd save in 27 tries for the Cardinals, who had dropped five of six entering the game.
Chris Sale started for Atlanta, allowing two hits in three scoreless innings, striking out five and walking one before the delay. Victor Mederos threw a pair of impressive innings in relief for Atlanta, which mustered just three hits. Austin Riley’s fifth-inning RBI single accounted for the Braves’ only run, as the visitors lost their fourth game in six tries.
In the bottom of the third, Blaze Jordan ripped a one-out double for the game’s first extra-base hit. After Sale issued a two-out walk to JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera’s flyout ended the threat.
With Ozzie Albies leading off in the fourth, the game was halted by rain. After the delay, Soriano struck out Albies before retiring Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin.
Atlanta struck first in the fifth, though, as Mike Yasztremski doubled and scored on Riley’s RBI single. Justin Bruihl then relieved Soriano and threw 1 2/3 scoreless frames.
Didier Fuentes took over in the sixth for the Braves, allowing a one-out walk to Wetherholt and consecutive singles to Herrera and Jordan Walker, tying the score at one apiece.
The St. Louis bullpen retired the final seven Atlanta batters in order, with two of them flying out to the warning track.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rockies awaken in 9th, rally past Giants
Jul 10, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Colorado Rockies outfielder Jake McCarthy (31) runs after bunting a pitch thrown by San Francisco Giants pitcher Caleb Kilian (not pictured) during the ninth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images Kyle Karros flipped a deficit into a lead with a two-run single, Cole Carrigg padded the advantage with a sacrifice fly and the visiting Colorado Rockies rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to stun the San Francisco Giants 4-3 on Friday night.
After Rafael Devers’ third hit in the seventh inning gave the Giants a 2-1 lead they took into the ninth, closer Caleb Kilian (2-5) didn’t retire any of the four batters he faced, allowing a single to Mickey Moniak, a walk to pinch hitter Troy Johnson and a bunt single to Jake McCarthy, setting up Karros’ hit through a drawn-in infield.
Carrigg followed with his run-scoring flyball to left field off Kilian’s replacement, Erik Miller, giving Jordan Romano a two-run cushion for the bottom of the ninth.
The Rockies needed both runs after Romano served up a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to Devers before walking Willy Adames to again load the bases with two outs. Juan Mejia then came on and got Bryce Eldridge to ground out to second base on his first pitch, securing his fourth save.
Antonio Senzatela (9-1), who pitched a scoreless eighth, was credited with the win.
After the Rockies tied the contest in the fifth, neither team scored again until Luis Arraez stroked a two-out single in the seventh, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball and jogged home when Devers grounded a single into right field.
Neither starting pitcher got a decision after carrying a 1-1 tie into the sixth inning.
Rockies starter Tanner Gordon worked around eight hits and a walk to limit the Giants to a single run in five innings. He struck out one.
San Francisco’s only run against him was the game’s first, when Devers lofted his 19th home run of the season into the right field bleachers to lead off the second inning.
Giants starter Robbie Ray took a shutout in the fifth, when the Rockies got even on back-to-back two-out doubles by Ezequiel Tovar and McCarthy.
The left-hander left three batters into the sixth, having walked each of them. Thanks to Dylan Smith retiring the next three batters to get out of the jam unscathed, Ray allowed only the one run on four hits and six walks. He struck out four.
Karros finished with three hits, while McCarthy and TJ Rumfield had two hits apiece for the Rockies, who have beaten their National League West rivals five times in eight meetings this season.
Devers totaled three RBIs, while Arraez joined his teammate with three hits for the Giants, who fell to 2-3 on their week-long homestand.
– Field Level Media
Sports
Jimmy Crooks' homer lifts Cardinals to rain-delayed win over Braves
Jul 10, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Blaze Jordan (33) hits a double against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Jimmy Crooks hit a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning on Friday to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves.
After a rain delay of nearly three hours in the top of the fourth derailed the game, Crooks hit his second home run of the season off Atlanta’s Danny Young (0-1) to help the Cardinals claim the series opener. Kyle Leahy threw three scoreless frames, surrendering a single and striking out two for St. Louis before being replaced by George Soriano after the delay.
JoJo Romero (1-2) tossed a perfect eighth inning to earn the win, and first-time All-Star Riley O’Brien posted his 23rd save in 27 tries for the Cardinals, who had dropped five of six entering the game.
Chris Sale started for Atlanta, allowing two hits in three scoreless innings, striking out five and walking one before the delay. Victor Mederos threw a pair of impressive innings in relief for Atlanta, which mustered just three hits. Austin Riley’s fifth-inning RBI single accounted for the Braves’ only run, as the visitors lost their fourth game in six tries.
In the bottom of the third, Blaze Jordan ripped a one-out double for the game’s first extra-base hit. After Sale issued a two-out walk to JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera’s flyout ended the threat.
With Ozzie Albies leading off in the fourth, the game was halted by rain. After the delay, Soriano struck out Albies before retiring Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin.
Atlanta struck first in the fifth, though, as Mike Yasztremski doubled and scored on Riley’s RBI single. Justin Bruihl then relieved Soriano and threw 1 2/3 scoreless frames.
Didier Fuentes took over in the sixth for the Braves, allowing a one-out walk to Wetherholt and consecutive singles to Herrera and Jordan Walker, tying the score at one apiece.
The St. Louis bullpen retired the final seven Atlanta batters in order, with two of them flying out to the warning track.
–Field Level Media
Jimmy Crooks homer lifts Cards to rain-delayed win over Braves
Rockies awaken in 9th, rally past Giants
