CHICAGO (Interstat) — The Tampa Bay Rays capitalized on early mistakes and rode a strong start from Shane McClanahan to defeat the Chicago White Sox 8-5 on Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

A crowd of 14,648 watched the Rays improve to 9-7, while the White Sox fell to 6-11.

The game’s decisive sequence came immediately, as Tampa Bay ambushed Chicago starter Noah Schultz in a messy first inning. After two quick walks, Ryan Vilade laced an RBI double to left field. The next batter, Ben Williamson, laid down a sacrifice bunt that turned into a disaster for the White Sox. Schultz’s throwing error on the play allowed two more runs to score, with Williamson winding up on second base. The Rays had a 3-0 lead without recording a hard-hit outfield out.

Tampa Bay extended its lead to 4-0 in the third inning when Williamson doubled home Vilade, who had singled. Williamson finished the night two for three with a walk, two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored, providing consistent offensive production from the second base spot.

The White Sox, however, answered forcefully in the bottom of the third against McClanahan. After a controversial catcher’s interference call extended the inning, Everson Pereira connected for a three-run homer to left-center field, his second of the season, slicing the Rays’ lead to 4-3. The blast momentarily shifted momentum and ended McClanahan’s shutout bid.

McClanahan (1-1) settled in after the homer, ultimately delivering a quality start to earn the win. He worked six innings, allowing three runs – only two earned – on three hits. He walked four and struck out four, working around traffic to keep the White Sox at bay after the third.

Schultz (0-1), making his first start of the season for Chicago, took the loss. He lasted just three innings, surrendering four runs, three earned, on three hits and three walks.

The Rays methodically pulled away in the middle innings. They added two runs in the sixth on an RBI single from Nick Fortes and a run-scoring single by Yandy Díaz. In the seventh, Williamson struck again with his second double, scoring Vilade. Jonny DeLuca followed with an RBI double of his own, pushing the Tampa Bay advantage to 8-3.

The Tampa Bay bullpen, led by Mason Englert and Hunter Bigge, preserved the five-run lead through the eighth inning. Bryan Baker entered in the ninth to close it out for the Rays.

Chicago made a final push in the ninth against Baker. After a walk and a popout, Munetaka Murakami launched a two-run homer to right field, his fifth of the year, making it 8-5. Tristan Peters followed with a single, bringing the tying run to the on-deck circle. Baker recovered, getting Edgar Quero to fly out to center field to end the game and secure his third save of the season.

The Rays collected 12 hits, with Vilade going three for five with three runs scored and Díaz adding two hits and an RBI. The White Sox managed only five hits, with Pereira’s homer representing their only significant offense until Murakami’s late blast.

The game’s outcome defied the pregame projections, which heavily favored Tampa Bay. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 6-4 Rays victory, and its ELO system gave Tampa Bay a 58.5% probability to win. The Rays also covered the spread as a -1.5 favorite. The combined total of 13 runs sailed over the posted over/under line of 8.

The most critical juncture of the game was undoubtedly the first inning. Schultz’s inability to find the strike zone, compounded by his own fielding error on Williamson’s bunt, gifted the Rays a three-run head start. That early cushion allowed McClanahan to work with margin for error, which proved vital when Pereira’s homer brought Chicago back within one run. The White Sox, who have struggled offensively for much of the young season, were forced to play catch-up all night and could never fully recover from that initial self-inflicted wound.

Tampa Bay has now won four of its last five games, while Chicago has dropped seven of its last ten.

The two teams continue their three-game series Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.