ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays overcame the mess Shane McClanahan made at the beginning of Wednesday’s game because Nationals starter Patrick Corbin was worse in his half of the first inning.
They were trailing again by the fifth, after Washington veteran Ryan Zimmerman homered for the second time, and then came back again, as rookie Taylor Walls hit his first career homer in the seventh and Joey Wendle his first as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.
They were down two again in the 10th and rallied once more. A drive by Randy Arozarena to deep center scored Austin Meadows and a single by Wendle tied it, but they got no more.
But they came up short at the end, losing 9-7 in 11 innings.
Starlin Castro laced a double off the leftfield wall on the first pitch from Diego Castillo to score Jordy Mercer, putting the Nationals ahead to stay. A bunt single by Victor Robles, on a ball Castillo should have let Wendle field, put runners on the corners, and a Josh Harrison sacrifice fly delivered the second run.
The loss was just the fifth for the Rays in their last 25 games, dropping their American League-best record to 39-24.
McClanahan, the rookie lefty from USF, had a second straight abbreviated and ineffective start, allowing three runs over three innings, throwing 77 pitches (and only 45 strikes) to get the nine outs.
His abbreviated outing also forced the Rays to use six relievers to cover eight innings, somewhat foiling their plan to take advantage of having two days out of four off to rest as many relievers as possible.
McClanahan put the Rays in a quick 2-0 hole, walking leadoff batter Trea Turner and allowing a one-out homer to Juan Soto in a 29-pitch inning.
But the Rays got that back, and the lead, when Corbin had an even worse 35-pitch first inning, walking the first three hitters — Manuel Margot, Yandy Diaz and Meadows.
Arozarena got the Rays two runs with a 419-foot, 105.6 mph drive off the centerfield wall that looked to be going out — especially to Arozarena, who didn’t run hard out of the box, carrying his bat part of the way down the line and watching the ball.
Arozarena’s lack of hustle didn’t seem to hurt the Rays, as he later stole second and they didn’t get another hit in the inning, a Mike Brosseau sac fly scoring Meadows to put them up 3-2.
The lead didn’t last long, as McClanahan gave up another homer in the third, this one to Zimmerman.
That was the first of two for the veteran right-handed hitter, as he hit a two-run shot in the fifth off lefty Jeffrey Springs that put the Nats ahead 5-3.
Walls, the rookie shortstop who has had an impressive debut, homered in the seventh to get the Rays within 5-4.
Then Wendle, pinch-hitting in the eighth for Brosseau, got them even.
The Rays had a chance to win it in the ninth when pinch-hitter Mike Zunino drew a one-out walk and, with two outs pinch-runner Kevin Kiermaier stole second, but they couldn’t get him in.
The Nationals went ahead on a single by Yan Gomes with one out in the 10th. With Harrison the designated runner at second, the Rays had right-hander Andrew Kittredge intentionally walk dangerous lefty Soto. A Zimmerman grounder to third moved up both runners. Gomes’ single to right scored the first run, and a sacrifice fly to deep left by lefty Kyle Schwarber off lefty reliever Ryan Sherriff the second.
The Rays are off Thursday and open a weekend series against the Orioles on Friday.
