Mike Zunino homers against former team as Rays top M’s 4-3

SEATTLE — Mike Zunino hit a three-run homer against his former team, Shane McClanahan held Seattle hitless into the fifth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Mariners 4-3 Thursday night for their fourth straight win.

McClanahan was overpowering early, received some terrific defensive help and kept Seattle’s slumping offense in a funk. The only hits Seattle managed off the hard-throwing lefty were Jesse Winker’s first homer of the season in the fifth inning and consecutive singles by Ty France and J.P. Crawford in the sixth that ended McClanahan’s night.

McClanahan (2-2) has allowed three earned runs or fewer in all six of his starts. He struck out five and walked two.

Isaac Paredes saved a run in the third inning with a diving stop to rob France of a hit. Taylor Walls made a spinning stop on Eugenio Suarez an inning later to rob a hit.

Jason Adam allowed an RBI single to Suarez in the sixth inning and Adam Frazier hit his first home run for Seattle on the first pitch from Colin Poche in the seventh. Poche pitched a clean eighth inning and Brooks Raley worked the ninth for his second save.

It was the third straight one-run victory by the Rays over Seattle after taking two of three games last week at home.

Tampa Bay received all the offense it would need thanks to one swing from the former Mariners catcher. Zunino entered the game hitting just .135, but he hit his third homer of the season off starter Robbie Ray in the fourth inning. It was Zunino’s fourth homer in 10 games against the team he spent his first six seasons playing for.

Harold Ramirez also had an RBI single as part of the four-run inning for Tampa Bay.

Ray (2-3) threw 6 2/3 innings and struck out five but suffered his second straight loss. Seattle has lost eight of nine overall and has scored more than three runs only twice during that stretch.