The Tampa Bay Rays opened a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night in Anaheim, with Shane McClanahan facing Sam Aldegheri at Angel Stadium. First pitch was set for 9:38 p.m. ET, launching a six-game West Coast trip for Tampa Bay.
The game mattered because the Rays arrived with a 40-25 record, yet they had dropped six of their last seven road games. That split between overall strength and away-day strain made the opener more than a routine series start, especially with Tampa Bay heading straight from Anaheim to three games against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
McClanahan, who was making his 13th start, entered at 6-3 with a 2.85 ERA. In 60 innings, he had posted a 1.10 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9 and 8.9 K/9, giving Tampa Bay its most reliable arm in a matchup that also doubled as the first stop on a tough trip.
Aldegheri brought a smaller sample but strong early numbers for a 27-42 Angels team. He was 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA, making his second start of the season and fifth appearance, and had logged a 1.33 WHIP, 3.8 BB/9 and 6.0 K/9 in 12 innings. Los Angeles had won two of three against the Houston Astros before its Thursday off day, and it had already shown in late May that it could make life difficult for Tampa Bay after taking one of three in the clubs’ series in Tampa from May 29-31, including a 14-3 rout.
That history gave Friday’s matchup a sharper edge. Tampa Bay swept the Boston Red Sox at home earlier in the week, but the Rays also carried a.670 OPS over their last eight games, a reminder that the offense had not always matched the record. The Angels, meanwhile, were averaging 4.46 runs per game this season, a number that fit the betting lean pointing toward Los Angeles at +140 and the over 8.5 at -130.
For the Rays, the question was whether McClanahan could set the tone and steady a road trip that had already become a test. For the Angels, the opener offered a chance to turn a respectable home result into something bigger before Tampa Bay moved on to the Dodgers.
