Rays Notebook: McClanahan Feels 'Great,' Plans to Start on Schedule on Sunday
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Any concern about the health of Tampa Bay ace Shane McClanahan pretty much ended on Wednesday, when the star left-hander said he ''feels great'' a day after leaving Tuesday night's game in the fifth inning with a stiff neck.
The news was no surprise, really, because McClanahan didn't want to come out of Tuesday's game in the first place. But everyone wants to be safe with their prized starter, so the move made sense at the time.
But he also said everything was normal on Wednesday and that he has every intention of starting on Sunday on his normal four days of rest. It's the home finale against the Toronto Blue Jays that day. He shut them out last week in his return from the injured list.
"As of right now, he is pitching Sunday,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Yeah, we're very encouraged. Talking to him (Wednesday), his exact words were that if I had an inning for him in the bullpen, he would like to go pitch. So that makes me feel pretty good.
"We're still confident we did the right thing with getting him out of the ball game, but I totally expect him to be in line for his next start.''
McClanahan went 23 days between starts when he couldn't get loose on Aug. 30 warming up in Miami for a start against the Marlins. He went on the injured list with a shoulder impingement and returned Sept. 15. He is 12-6 with a 2.36 earned run average this season.
Arozarena, Diaz skirmish 'staying in house'
A local radio station reported on Wednesday that Rays players Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz had an altercation in the parking lot on Monday night. Cash was asked about it prior to the game, and didn't want to say a lot about the alleged. incident.
"I'm really not going to confirm, deny, whatever. I think these players, we owe it to them to keep what goes on in the clubhouse in the clubhouse,'' Cash said. "But I'm very confident we're past everything and looking forward to play.''
ICYMI: @TKras & @ZacOnTheMic chat about the #RaysUp story they broke yesterday involving Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz in an altercation... what they were told happened & where they believe the situation currently is!
— WDAE (Tampa Bay's Sports Radio) (@953WDAE) September 22, 2022
MORE -> https://t.co/0F9NfIazg6 pic.twitter.com/ahkUpHUlsy
Neither player was in the lineup on Tuesday, and Cash said ''part of the reason'' was the Monday incident. Arozarena played Wednesday, but Diaz didn't play. Cash said Diaz has a shoulder issue that they are monitoring as well.
"His left shoulder has been barking at him a little bit on the finish, on his swing,'' Cash said. "We've got to prioritize these guys health and get them cleaned up. He had that (shoulder issue) a while ago where he missed some time. A couple of games back to back and this is kind of the similar thing.
"It's just that finish. He's been swinging a lot. Foul balls, swings and misses. It grabs him kind of on the back. Good thing it's his left shoulder, not his right shoulder, so it doesn't affect throwing. But the last time we kind of treated it and gave him a couple of days off and he took some time off swinging, so he was OK.''
Arozarena did meet with the media prior to Wednesday's game, and downplayed the event, which he said both players have put behind them. He said their issues were personal and not about baseball. He also said there was no physical altercation, despite the radio report.
“We’re fine,” Arozarena said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “I saw him, and I talked to him today, and we greeted each other, and everything’s all good.
“We both spoke, and we talked about it. Our goal now is just to focus on what’s going on on the field in between the lines and focus on making it to the playoffs and focusing on helping out this team however we can.”
Jalen Beeks heads to injured list
Tampa Bay reliever Jalen Beeks is back on the injured list, with tightness in his right lower leg. He missed some time earlier with the same ailment, saying he's having issues in his calf area after appearances.
His 15-day stay will run into the Rays' final series of the regular season at Boston. Cash is hoping he'll be back to 100 percent by then and be ready for the final series and any postseason games that follow.
"He managed it since the first time that he went on (the injured list).'' Cash said "He's done a pretty good job. Jalen is putting together a really big season for us. We need to kind of clear this up and see if we can get him back.. That would be ideal (to have him back in October.)''
The Rays called up right-handed reliever Dusten Knight to replace Beeks. He was up earlier, and has pitched well at Durham all season. He pitched an inning on Wednesday night, giving up a run
"I'm excited to see him, he's come up and done some good things,'' Cash said. "He came up in Toronto, I think, in our first long series that we had there, and threw strikes. We're confident he can throw strikes. Get his cutter going, get his change-up going, and contribute in whatever way possible.''
Related stories on Rays baseball
- ASTROS SWEEP RAYS (Wednesday): Tampa Bay finally snapped its 25-inning scoreless streak to take a lead on Wednesday night against the Houston Astros, but then local star Kyle Tucker hit a two-run homer off of Brooks Raley to give the Astros a 5-2 win and a sweep in the three-game series, the first time that's happened to the Rays since early 2019. CLICK HERE
- RAYS SHUT OUT FOR 2ND STRAIGHT NIGHT: The Tampa Bay Rays were shut out for the second straight night by the Houston Astros, getting blanked on back-to-back days for the first time in more than five years. Ace pitcher Shane McClanahan had to leave the game early with a neck injury, but he said he has no concerns going forward. CLICK HERE
- ASTROS WIN AL WEST AFTER SHUTOUT OF RAYS: Tampa Bay left 10 men on base and Houston did just enough damage off of Rays starter Drew Rasmussen to win 4-0 on Monday night, clinching the American League West division title in the process. CLICK HERE
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.