SEATTLE (AP) — Mike Zunino hit a three-run homer against his former team, Shane McClanahan held Seattle hitless into the fifth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Mariners 4-3 Thursday night for their fourth straight win.
McClanahan was overpowering early, received some terrific defensive help and kept Seattle’s slumping offense in a funk. The only hits Seattle managed off the hard-throwing lefty were Jesse Winker’s first homer of the season in the fifth inning and consecutive singles by Ty France and J.P. Crawford in the sixth that ended McClanahan’s night.
McClanahan (2-2) has allowed three earned runs or fewer in all six of his starts. He struck out five and walked two.
Isaac Paredes saved a run in the third inning with a diving stop to rob France of a hit. Taylor Walls made a spinning stop on Eugenio Suarez an inning later to rob a hit.
Jason Adam allowed an RBI single to Suarez in the sixth inning and Adam Frazier hit his first home run for Seattle on the first pitch from Colin Poche in the seventh. Poche pitched a clean eighth inning and Brooks Raley worked the ninth for his second save.
It was the third straight one-run victory by the Rays over Seattle after taking two of three games last week at home.
Tampa Bay received all the offense it would need thanks to one swing from the former Mariners catcher. Zunino entered the game hitting just .135, but he hit his third homer of the season off starter Robbie Ray in the fourth inning. It was Zunino’s fourth homer in 10 games against the team he spent his first six seasons playing for.
Harold Ramirez also had an RBI single as part of the four-run inning for Tampa Bay.
Ray (2-3) threw 6 2/3 innings and struck out five but suffered his second straight loss. Seattle has lost eight of nine overall and has scored more than three runs only twice during that stretch.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays: Tampa Bay started to get players and coaches back from its recent COVID-19 outbreak. C Francisco Mejía was reinstated from the virus list Thursday and likely will be back in the lineup on Friday. The Rays also welcomed back bench coach Matt Quatraro and pitching coach Kyle Snyder.
Bullpen coach Stan Boroski and field coordinator Paul Hoover remain out due to the virus.
Mariners: Catcher Tom Murphy was scratched from the original lineup with neck spasms. Seattle had a flurry of roster moves that included optioning RHP Matt Brash to Triple-A Tacoma and move him to the bullpen. The Mariners also placed RHP Matt Festa on the 15-day injured list due to tendinitis in his right elbow. Right-hander Riley O’Brien was recalled and lefty Danny Young was selected from Tacoma.
UP NEXT
Rays: Tampa Bay is expected to use an opener Friday.
Mariners: RHP Logan Gilbert will make his sixth start and his first after being named the AL pitcher of the month for April. Gilbert was 4-0 with a 0.64 ERA in April. He threw 5 2/3 innings allowing one run in his last start against Miami.
