Just For Starters: Breaking Down Corey Kluber's Start for Rays on Sunday

Corey Kluber made his first start for the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He went 4 2/3 innings and the two-time Cy Young Award winning walked off to a standing ovation from the appreciative Tropicana Field crowd. Here's our ''Just For Starters'' breakdown, with running totals all Rays starters.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Corey Kluber made his first start in a Tampa Bay Rays uniform on Sunday and pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings.

He did struggle a bit with control, walking four batters, but he also pitched around it well. 

Here's our daily "Just For Starters'' segment, which we do in real time once the starter leaves. We'll update it again after the game. Here's what Kluber did on Sunday:

Rays' Starters By The Numbers

• Starter: Corey Kluber
• Game: Sunday vs. Baltimore Orioles
• Decision: None
• Team result: Rays won, 8-0
• Innings pitched: 4 2/3
• Total pitches: 87
• Strikes: 52
• Runs allowed: 0
• Earned runs: 0
• Hits allowed: 3
• Walks allowed: 4
• Total HBP allowed: 0
• Total strikeouts: 5
• Status upon departure: Kluber had a 4-0 lead with two on and two outs in the fifth inning. Reliever Jeffrey Springs got the final out in the fifth,
  
• The skinny: Kluber didn't allow any runs and pitched well through a lot of traffic, with the four walks and three hits allowed. Manager Kevin Cash tried to get him through five innings to qualify for the win, but after getting the first two outs in the inning, he gave up a walk and a single and the pitch count was getting up there.

Season Totals for Rays Starters

• Starters: Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Corey Kluber
• Games: 3
• Decisions: None
• Team result: 3-0 thru Sunday
• Innings pitched (avg): 13/4.33
• - Season high innings: 4 2/3, Corey Kluber (April 10)
• Total pitches (avg.): 219/73.0
• - Season high pitches: 87, Corey Kluber (April 10)
• Strikes (avg.): 137/45.7
• Total strikeouts (avg): 15/5.0
• - Season high strikeouts: 7, Shane McClanahan (April 8)
• Runs allowed (avg): 2/0.7
• Earned runs (avg): 2/0.7
• Hits allowed (avg): 10/3.3
• Walks allowed (avg): 7/2.3
• Total HBP allowed (avg): 2/0.7
• Starter ERA: 1.38

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