ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays felt their somnolent offense was waking up when they won the final two games in Texas, and that certainly looked to be true when they scored four runs in the first inning Friday against the White Sox. Even more so when they added on two late, the six runs their most in a game in nearly two weeks.
That they went five innings in between, managing only two hits, somewhat disputes that narrative.
But it didn’t change the overall storyline, which was a 6-3 win that was the third straight for the Rays, an ascension to a season-best 10 games over .500 at 31-21 and a good start to a week-long homestand before an announced 8,930 at Tropicana Field.
Shane McClanahan had a big hand, and left arm, in that, working six solid innings, allowing the two runs and six hits, striking out eight, pushing his major league-leading total to 89 in 11 starts.
The short-handed bullpen, which lost top reliever JP Feyereisen for at least 15 days due to a shoulder issue, took it from there. Matt Wisler worked the seventh, call-up Calvin Faucher the eighth, and recent addition Shawn Armstrong and Colin Poche the ninth.
The Rays got their first break before the game even started. The struggling White Sox, managed by Tampa-born Hall of Famer Tony La Russa, had to scratch scheduled starter Vince Velasquez due to a groin strain sustained while shagging balls during batting practice Wednesday in Toronto.
The Sox turned to Triple-A call-up Davis Martin, who made his big league debut last month and has since been pitching at Charlotte. His most recent outing, coincidentally, came against the Rays’ Durham team last Saturday.
The Rays jumped on Martin.
Yandy Diaz led off with a sharp grounder off the glove of shortstop Danny Mendick that he stretched to a double. Manuel Margot, who talked his way into the lineup by convincing the staff his legs felt fine, drew a walk, with Diaz moving to third on a ball four wild pitch.
Ji-Man Choi got one run home with a sac fly to center, and Margot moved up to second, which also mattered. That was because Harold Ramirez followed with a hard single to center, scoring Margot.
Two pitches later, Randy Arozarena made it 4-0 with an opposite-field homer, his sixth in his last 22 games.
The seventh started with two quick outs for the Rays. But Diaz walked and Margot singled, then both moved up on a passed ball by Yasmani Grandal. That brought up Choi, who came through again with a two-run double.
