McClanahan solid, Zunino homers as Rays beat Orioles 6-3

BALTIMORE (AP) — Shane McClanahan won his fifth consecutive start, Mike Zunino hit a three-run homer and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-3 on Friday night.

Tampa Bay improved to 16-1 against Baltimore, setting the team record for wins in a season against a single opponent. The Rays have won six straight overall and have an AL-best 80-48 record.

“It's Major League Baseball, these teams are good,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Sometimes it happens that way where it becomes a little lopsided during a season. But what it says the most is these guys get up to play regardless of who they're playing and they're going out to try and win the game.”

McClanahan (9-4) grew up in the Baltimore area and improved to 4-0 against his hometown team this season. He allowed two runs and eight hits with four strikeouts over six innings.

“I think that was my fourth time facing them this month alone,” McClanahan said. “That's just funny how baseball is; sometimes that's just how you're going to match it up. They have obviously seen me a lot, but I tried to continue what I was doing and give them a different look. They had some hard-hit balls.”

Zunino provided a 6-2 advantage in the seventh when he hammered reliever Tanner Scott's 0-1 pitch 453 feet over the center-field fence. It was Zunino's 27th homer of the season.

Chris Mazza pitched the last three innings for his first save. He allowed a home run to Cedric Mullins in the ninth. Tampa Bay tied the major league record it already co-owns with 12 pitchers earning a save in one season.

Austin Hays hit his 14th homer for the Orioles, who had won two consecutive games after losing 19 straight — two shy of the AL record set by Baltimore at the beginning of the 1988 season.

The Rays opened a 3-0 lead with two outs in the first...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/McClanahan-solid-Zunino-homers-as-Rays-beat-16417836.php