MLB-leading Rays lose ace McClanahan to back tightness and fall to Royals 6-5

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – The major league-leading Tampa Bay Rays lost ace Shane McClanahan to mid-back tightness in a 6-5 loss to the lowly Kansas City Royals on Thursday night.

McClanahan, looking to become the majors’ first 12-game winner of the season, left with two outs in the fourth. The left-hander, 11-1 this season, gave up two runs, four hits and two walks in a 66-pitch outing.

Maikel Garcia drew a walk from Pete Fairbanks (0-2) to start the ninth, then stole second and third. After Fairbanks got a pair of strikeouts, Garcia scored on MJ Melendez’s infield single to put the Royals ahead 6-5.

The Royals stole seven bases overall.

Aroldis Chapman (3-2) picked up the win and Scott Barlow earned his ninth save.

Drew Waters hit a solo homer and drove in two runs with a single in the eighth for Kansas City, which has the second-worst record in the majors at 21-54.

Francisco Mejía homered and Randy Arozarena had a two-run single for Tampa Bay, which slipped to 52-26 overall and 32-9 at home.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Joe Ryan pitched a three-hitter for Minnesota’s first complete-game shutout in five years and Byron Buxton became the first player in at least nine seasons to hit a pair of 460-foot home runs in a game in a win over Boston.

Ryan (8-4) pitched his first complete game in 47 big league starts, striking out nine, walking none.

Buxton hit a 466-foot home run in the first inning and a 465-foot drive in the third, his ninth multi-homer game as AL Central-leading Minnesota got back to .500 at 38-38.

Justin Garza (0-2), making his first career start as the Red Sox opener, took the loss.

CLEVELAND (AP) – Josh Bell homered and Myles Straw hit an RBI triple, leading Cleveland to a three-game sweep of Oakland, which dropped its eighth straight.

Bell’s 430-foot shot tied it and Straw put Cleveland ahead in the inning with his two-out shot to left.

The A’s were still within 2-1 in the eighth before reliever Yacksel Rios allowed four runs on two wild pitches and two bases-loaded walks.

Nick Sandlin (3-3) worked two hitless innings in relief for the win as four of Cleveland pitchers combined for the three-hitter.

JP Sears (1-5) allowed four hits and struck out eight in seven innings for the A’s, who have baseball’s worst record at 19-58.

MIAMI (AP) – Garrett Cooper doubled, singled and hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning as Miami dealt Pittsburgh its 10th straight loss.

Trailing 4-1, the Marlins rallied in the eighth. Jonathan Davis doubled and Luis Arraez and Jorge Soler walked. Carmen Mlodzinski (0-1) gave up a two-run single by Bryan De La Cruz. Jesús Sánchez reached on a fielder’s choice before Garrett drove Mlodzinski’s first pitch over the wall in right-center.

Arraez went 1 for 3, and his major league-leading batting average slipped a point to .397.

Huascar Brazoban (2-1) got the win and A.J. Puk picked up his 10th save.

Henry Davis hit his first career homer and Ke’Bryan Hayes added a solo shot for the Pirates.