McCullers (9-3) allowed three hits and two walks while striking out seven across seven scoreless innings to earn the win Thursday against the Rays.
McCullers was dominant Thursday and completed seven innings of work for the third time in his past eight outings. Seventeen of his 21 swinging strikes came on his curveball, his third consecutive start in which he has induced double-digit whiffs with the pitch. That offering has been the key to his success this season as in the five starts that he has generated more than 10 swinging strikes with his curveball, he has struck out 42 batters and allowed only nine earned runs across 29.1 innings.