RANGERS 10, RAYS 8: Seth McClung's status is unknown after another comeback goes for naught.
By TOM JONES
Published May 23, 2003
ARLINGTON, Texas - So the Devil Rays lost another game Thursday. They dropped their third in a row, choked away another marvelous comeback and wasted another offensive boom.
And none of those was even close to the worst thing that happened to the Rays on Thursday.
One of their young, promising pitchers, Seth McClung, injured his elbow in a 10-8 loss to Texas before 20,353 at The Ballpark in Arlington.
"That's not good news," Rays manager Lou Piniella said. "That is the worst news of the day."
McClung's elbow troubles come on the same day the Rays shipped out often-injured and ineffective starter Jim Parque and a day before tonight's starter, Jeremi Gonzalez, makes only his second appearance in five years.
Even before McClung took the mound, Piniella said the Rays would go with a four-man rotation until next weekend, when it likely would dip into the minors to bring up yet another starting pitcher. So once again, a rotation that already has used nine starters this season is in shambles.
McClung is scheduled to have an MRI and meet with Angels team doctor Lewis Yocum today in Anaheim, where the Rays begin a three-game series.
McClung, a 22-year-old rookie right-hander tied for the Rays lead with four victories, wouldn't go into detail about the first elbow injury of his career, saying only, "It didn't feel right."
Piniella said McClung felt "soreness" while warming up during the fourth inning.
"And he didn't tell anybody," Piniella said. "All he had to do was call somebody out. I guess he felt he could throw through it."
It was obvious he couldn't. With a 3-1 lead, McClung gave up five runs and four hits during Texas' seven-run inning before leaving. Trying to hide his injury even to the media after the game, McClung blamed his poor performance on "fat pitches."
After the injury was revealed, though, McClung said, "Maybe that gives some insight as to what happened."
McClung's day simply added injury to insult for the Rays' crummy series in Texas. In three games, the Rays scored 17 runs yet were swept.
"We scored seven (runs) and eight in two games," Piniella said. "The worst that should happen is a split."
Wednesday, the Rays fought back from deficits of 5-1 and 7-5 only to lose 8-7. Thursday, even after McClung's horrible fourth inning, the Rays clawed back to tie it and had plenty of chances to win.
Trailing 8-3, the Rays scored five in the fifth with the key hit being Marlon Anderson's three-run double.
But the Rangers won with two in the seventh off Travis Harper. All-Star shortstop Alex Rodriguez delivered the big blow with his 13th homer that wiped out the Rays' comeback.
"The comebacks are a good thing, but that means we are falling behind too many (darn) times," Piniella said.
Meantime, Piniella has more pressing problems, such as what do with his rotation. And hoping the worst news of Thursday, McClung's injury, turns out to be the best news today.
