PITTSBURGH — Winning Saturday’s 13-inning, 6½-hour-plus, rain-interrupted game took a lot for the Rays.

And it looked by their performance in Sunday’s matinee series finale, it may have taken something out of them.

The Rays went down without much of a fight in a 6-3 loss.

The offense had a quiet day, rapping only six hits for the afternoon, with the top four in the lineup going 2-for-16.

Starter Shane McClanahan couldn’t get through the fifth inning, further taxing the heavily used bullpen, but did show some encouraging signs as well.

And while the Rays made only one error, there were a few missed plays — most notably on a bunt in the middle of the Pirates’ fifth-inning rally — that led to runs.

On the plus side, the Rays went 4-2 on the trip to Chicago (White Sox) and Pittsburgh, and headed home 12-9, one of the top records in the American League, for series this week against the Reds and Twins.

“(Sunday) might not have gone our way, but we’re trending in the right direction as a team, as a staff, as a group,” McClanahan said. “Any road trip you can come out of 4-2, you’re going to take that. And over the course of 162 (games), that adds up.

“Obviously, there’s some things we can clean up. I mean, what team can’t or couldn’t? But I think we’re all pulling in the right direction, and we’re going to continue to make the steps necessary to achieve what we think this team can achieve.”

McClanahan’s status could be described similarly, as he made the fourth start of his comeback after missing two-plus seasons due to injuries.

His fastball velocity was up a a bit (averaging 95.5 mph, compared to 94.8 in his three previous outings), he had no walks for the first time (after allowing three, four and four) and he struck out five (with 11 swings-and-misses).

But he gave up eight hits (including three doubles), which led to four runs, and needed 90 pitches to get 13 outs.

“I felt good physically, mentally,” McClanahan said. “Unfortunately, that’s just how sometimes baseball is. I felt (Sunday) was probably the best I’ve thrown all year — in a really long time, for that matter. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t go your way sometimes.

“Obviously, it was a great step, felt good, but I want to win. I need to do a better job with two strikes and kind of executing those pitches, not trying to do too much. But overall, it is what it is. I firmly believe that results will even out. I feel if I throw the ball the way I threw it (Sunday), I think things are going to go my way more times than not.”

Manager Kevin Cash was also pleased.

“I was very encouraged with Shane’s outing,” he said. “The velocity alone was encouraging to see. … Very happy. I think that he took a big step.”

McClanahan (1-2, 5.00) expects to keep getting better as he goes, having not pitched in the majors from August 2, 2023 until his March 31 season debut.

“It’s just building the reps,” he said. “I haven’t had the body of work, man. I really hate to keep harping on it and using it as an excuse, but I didn’t have that build-up of the last couple years and making adjustments on the fly. It’s all new-ish again out there, and I’ve been working my butt off.

“I think (Sunday) was an example of just kind of cleaning up the mechanics a little bit and trying to really fill it up and compete and attack, and I’m proud of the way I did that.”

Cash acknowledged that better execution on the bunt play in the fifth may have changed the outcome: “Maybe it’s a different inning with that.”

The Rays had just taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth against a sharp Mitch Keller by rapping three straight two-outs hits, with Richie Palacios doubling, Jonny DeLuca singling and stealing second, then Hunter Feduccia singling both in.

But the Pirates answered back.

Joey Bart hit a ball off the wall in center, just beyond the reach of centerfielder Cedric Mullins, for a double.

Billy Cook dropped a bunt to move Bart to third, but Feduccia took too long throwing to first, so the Pirates had two on with no outs.

“He put it in a good spot,” Feduccia said. “Might have took too much time than I thought I had, but credit to him.”

Said Cash, “We’ve got to convert that into an out.”

With one out, Nick Gonzales then dropped a soft liner into shallow center that Mullins raced in and dove for but just missed.

“The dive felt like I was going to be scooping it right off the ground. Tough play,” he said. “The one at the wall, it hit the top of the wall. I don’t think I had a chance at that one.”

Cash then made the “pretty easy decision at that point in the game” to play the infield in, and Bryan Reynolds laced a grounder through the left side for a two-run single and a 4-2 lead.

That ended McClanahan’s day, though it helped the Rays that they only needed two relievers, Mason Englert and Ian Seymour, to finish.

“Obviously, wish things went a little different (Sunday),” McClanahan said. “I want to win, but it was a good step in the right direction, in terms of just — it’s a long season. Going to hopefully make another 26, 25 of these appearances, these starts.

“These guys have my back. I have their back. And we’re just going to keep working.”