KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Tampa Bay Rays continued their strong road performance Wednesday night, defeating the Kansas City Royals 3-0 at Kauffman Stadium. Drew Rasmussen delivered five scoreless innings, and the Rays’ offense capitalized on small ball in the second inning to secure their fifth consecutive road win and move to a season-best 10 games over .500.
Rasmussen (7-5) was efficient, scattering two hits and striking out five while walking two on a hot, humid evening. The right-hander handed the ball over to the Tampa Bay bullpen, who combined to allow just one hit and one walk before Pete Fairbanks closed out the ninth for his 14th save of the season.
The decisive second inning saw the Rays manufacture three runs against Royals starter Michael Wacha. José Caballero executed an RBI bunt single, followed by a sacrifice bunt from Danny Jansen. Christopher Morel, Josh Lowe, and Chandler Simpson also contributed singles in the inning.
Outside of that frame, Wacha (4-7) was effective, pitching six innings with nine strikeouts and only one walk. However, his efforts were in vain as the Royals’ offensive struggles continued. Kansas City has managed a mere four runs during their current four-game losing streak and has provided Wacha with two runs of support or fewer in 13 of his 16 starts this season.
The loss marks the Royals’ ninth consecutive defeat at Kauffman Stadium, their longest home skid since April and May of 2023 when they dropped 10 in a row. Overall, Kansas City has lost 10 of their last 14 games. Their best scoring opportunity came in the fourth inning, with runners on the corners, but Salvador Perez popped out on the first pitch, ending the threat.
The Rays (45-35) have now won nine of their last 12 games overall.
Looking ahead, the series finale is set for Thursday afternoon. Rays right-hander Shane Baz (7-3, 4.79 ERA) will take the mound against Royals right-hander Michael Lorenzen (4-7, 4.81). Pregame coverage on Superstar Country 102.5 FM & 1530 AM KQNK begins at 12:30 PM, with first pitch from Kauffman Stadium scheduled for 1:10 PM.
