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The Tampa Bay Rays have endured injuries to their pitching staff throughout the season and are still standing tall with the best record in the MLB. All of the national praise and regular season accolades, though, is secondary to that elusive World Series championship. That grueling mission is exponentially harder to complete without ace Shane McClanahan.
The 26-year-old left-hander has been placed on the 15-day injured list after being removed from his second consecutive start with mid-back tightness, per CBS Sports' Matt Snyder. This unfortunate news was expected after he struggled to find his velocity against the Seattle Mariners Friday night. His teammates bailed him out and cruised to a 16-4 victory, but the All-Star's absence opens up a considerable hole at the top of the pitching rotation.
Fortunately, a seven-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East and a looming All-Star break means that manager Kevin Cash does not need to panic. Nor does he have to rush McClanahan back. The Rays' historic start will be enough to carry them into the postseason. The organization's primary concern is October. Chances cannot be taken with McClanahan, despite him contending for the AL Cy Young.
Clearly the back is a big concern. His last two starts show as much. The Rays will trudge forward as they always do, though. Remember, this is the team that popularized the opener. They can piece together solid innings with this capable staff.
But history has proven that to be an unsuccessful strategy in the postseason. This Shane McClanahan injury news could be extra incentive to be aggressive at the trade deadline. Ignoring a bad omen could prove might costly, otherwise.
