GameDay Preview: Shane McClanahan on Mound to Start Quick Series With Marlins
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The first in-state showdown of the season takes place on Tuesday night when Shane McClanahan and the Tampa Bay Rays host the Miami Marlins at Tropicana Field.
The game starts at 6:40 p.m. ET and features two of the best young pitchers in the game in McClanahan and Miami's Pablo Lopez, It's just a two-game interleague series this week — they'll play again on Wednesday night at 6:40 p.m. The Rays and Marlins don't get together often, and the 25-year-old McClanahan has faced them only once, allowing just one run in five innings on Sept. 25 last year in a 7-3 Rays win.
He doesn't have a lot of familiarity with the Marlins' lineup, but that doesn't really matter, he said. He's all about doing what he does best, which is throw high-90s fastballs and mix in three other pitches on any point in the count,
"I don't really change anything, to be honest with you,'' McClanahan said. "That's how everybody on this team is. They know what makes them good and they trust their stuff.''
"I see it day in and day out with this clubhouse. There's no complacency here and we all push each other to be the best we can be.''
Here's how to watch Tuesday's game, with TV information and starting lineups and more:
How to watch Marlins at Rays
- Who: Miami Marlins (18-22) at Tampa Bay Rays (24-17)
- When: 6:40 p.m. ET, Tuesday, May 24
- Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
- TV: Bally Sports Sun
- Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
- Announcers: Dewayne Staats (play-by-play), Brian Anderson (color commentary) and Tricia Whitaker (reporter).
- Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM; SiriusXM Channel 177
- Announcers: Andy Freed and Dave Wills.
- Latest line: Tampa Bay is favored at minus-163 on the money line according to the SISportsbook.com website opening line as of Tuesday afternoon. The Marlins are plus-138. The over/under is 6.5.
Projected starting pitchers
- Marlins right-hander Pablo Lopez: Pablo Lopez might be the biggest surprise in the National League so far this season, with a 4-1 recorded a tidy 1.57 earned run average, which leads the league. His last start was his only bad one of his first eight outings, where he needed 82 pitches just to get through three innings against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. Surprisingly, for as good as he's been, the Marlins have lost three of his last four starts.
- Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan: The Rays turn to their ace to start this two-game series with the Marlins. He is 3-2 on the season with a low 2.33 earned run average and an 0.86. WHIP, tied for second in the American League behind only Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros. The Rays have won four of his last five starts, and his 65 strikeouts are second in the league to Dylan Cease of the Chicago White Sox.
Projected lineups
- Marlins lineup: Garrett Cooper DH, Jesus Aguilar 1B, Jorge Soler LF, Avisail Garcia RF, Brian Anderson 3B, Jacob Stallings C, Jesus Sanchez CF, Erik Gonzalez SS, Joe Duand 2B, Pablo Lopez P.
- Rays lineup: Kevin Kiermaier CF, Wander Franco SS, Randy Arozarena LF, Ji-Man Choi 1B, Harold Ramirez DH, Brett Phillips RF, Isaac Paredes 3B, Taylor Walls 2B, Mike Zunino C, Jalen Beeks P.
Newsy nuggets
- No. 1 — Kevin Kiermaier still batting leadoff: Tampa Bay center fielder Kevin Kiermaier has been on fire of late, so Rays manager Kevin Cash has him in the leadoff spot for the third straight game. Kiermaier is 11-for-22 in his last four games — the hottest four-game stretch of his career — and he's been doing it by hitting to all fields. "We know KK is capable of getting hot, and he's right in the thick of that right now. He's proven that he can do special things with the bat, and we're appreciative of having him at the top and getting things going for us.
- No 2 — Manuel Margot getting close: Rays outfielder Manuel Margot got some work in during game action at extended spring training for the second straight day, and Cash is optimistic he will come off the injured list on Wednesday. He's been dealing with a hamstring issue, but has responded well to 10 days of rest and rehab.
- No. 3 — No Joey Wendle for Marlins: Former Rays infielder Joey Wendle will miss the two-game series with his former team. He is on the injured list and instead of being at Tropicana Field, he'll be in Jupiter, Fla., playing in a rehab game. He was traded to the Marlins last November. “I was so close,” Wendle told the Tampa Bay Times Monday. “There’s been a disappointment for the last 10 days not being able to play with my own guys, so that’s the biggest thing. But I think everybody kind of looks forward to going back to play in a city where you played for a long time, just seeing those guys and (where he) had a lot of really good times and special memories with that team. ... I guess we’ll have to wait until they come to our place (in late August).”
- No. 4 — Yankees sellouts: The Rays announced that Saturday's home game with the New York Yankees is sold out. The two AL East leaders play four games this week, Thursday through Sunday. A few of the other games are close to sellouts, too.
Related stories on Rays baseball
- BEST 1-2 PUNCH: Tampa Bay aces Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen just might be the best one-two punch in the American League, and they've got the numbers to prove it, even against the best pitchers on several other AL teams. Here's the full breakdown. CLICK HERE
- ORIOLES WIN IN EXTRAS AGAIN (Sunday): For the second time in three nights in Baltimore, the Tampa Bay bullpen fell apart late and cost the Rays a victory, this time falling 7-6 in 11 innings against the Orioles. CLICK HERE
- KIERMAIER LEADS RAYS (Saturday): Kevin Kiermaier had his third straight three-hit night, something he's never done before, and Jeffrey Springs pitched another gem in the Rays' 6-1 win on Saturday night. CLICK HERE
- ORIOLES TOP RAYS IN EXTRAS (Friday): Tampa Bay's usually reliable bullpen had a rough night on Friday, giving up the lead on three different occasions before finally losing to the Baltimore Orioles 8-6 in 13 innings. The loss ended the Rays' 15-game winning streak over the Orioles. CLICK HERE
Watch Kevin Cash's full pregame media chat
Tom Brew is the publisher of Inside The Rays, and has been with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation network for three years. He is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his four-decade career at the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has written four books.