BALTIMORE (AP) — Shane McClanahan pitched six impressive innings to become this season's first seven-game winner, and Josh Lowe and Luke Raley homered to lift the Tampa Bay Rays to a 3-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.
In a matchup between the teams with the two best records in the American League, the Rays extended their AL East lead to 6 1/2 games. McClanahan (7-0) allowed four hits and four walks and struck out seven.
Kyle Gibson (4-2) pitched well in defeat, allowing two runs in six-plus innings. Lowe hit a solo shot leading off the second and Raley added one in the ninth. Wander Franco hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Colin Poche and Kevin Kelly followed McClanahan for Tampa Bay, and Jason Adam struck out three in the ninth for his fourth save.
The Orioles lost a series opener for the first time all season after winning their first 11. Baltimore's schedule has been much tougher these last few days, and after losing two straight one-run games at Atlanta, the Orioles fell to the Rays. It's Baltimore's first three-game losing streak of the season.
McClanahan did have a few problems to pitch through. A walk and an infield hit to start the bottom of the fourth put men on first and second. One out later, Adam Frazier's blooper to shallow left was caught by Franco, the shortstop. He easily doubled Anthony Santander off second.
The following inning, another leadoff walk by McClanahan was erased by a double play.
After the Rays went up 2-0, the Orioles put men on second and third in the seventh, but Adley Rutschman's third strikeout of the day ended that threat.
The Rays have an MLB-best 21 multi-homer games and are 19-2 when they do that.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: Tampa Bay put LHP Garrett Cleavinger on the 15-day injured list with what manager Kevin Cash said appears to be a right ACL injury.
Orioles: RHP Mychal Givens (left knee inflammation) and RHP Dillon Tate (right elbow flexor strain) are expected to pitch Wednesday for Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. ... 3B Ramón Urías walked off with some sort of injury after hitting a ninth-inning single.
UP NEXT
Orioles rookie Grayson Rodriguez (1-0) takes the mound Tuesday night against Tampa Bay's Zach Eflin (4-0). Eflin threw seven scoreless innings Thursday against Pittsburgh.
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Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister
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