ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay left-hander Shane McClanahan will start Game of 1 of the Rays' AL Division Series on Thursday night.
Rays manager Kevin Cash made the announcement before a team workout on Tuesday.
Rookie Shane Baz will take the mound for Game 2 on Friday night. Depending on bullpen use in the opening two games, Cash said Drew Rasmussen is the “highly likely” Game 3 starter.
Tampa Bay will face the winner of Tuesday night's wild-card game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
McClanahan, who last year became the first pitcher to make his major league debut in the postseason, went 10-6 with a 3.43 ERA in 25 starts this season.
Baz, a member of the silver-medal winning U.S. Olympic team, was 2-0 with 2.03 ERA in three starts after being called up from Triple-A Durham last month.
Rasmussen, acquired from Milwaukee in May, went 4-0 and had a 2.44 ERA in 20 games, including 10 starts for Tampa Bay.
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