Shane Baz Dominates as Rays Complete Sweep of Royals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Tampa Bay Rays wrapped up their road trip in dominant fashion Thursday afternoon, shutting out the Kansas City Royals 4-0 to complete a three-game sweep at Kauffman Stadium.
Shane Baz was lights-out, tossing a career-high eight innings while allowing just three hits, striking out nine, and walking only one. The 25-year-old right-hander improved to 8-3 on the season and continues to solidify his role as one of Tampa Bay’s top arms.
The Rays broke things open in the fourth inning with a two-out rally. Jonathan Aranda roped a double and came around to score on Jake Mangum’s RBI triple. Josh Lowe followed with a single to bring Mangum home and put the Rays up 2-0.
In the sixth, Tampa Bay added to the lead in dramatic fashion. Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero went back-to-back with solo homers off Royals starter Michael Lorenzen, stretching the lead to four.
Tampa Bay’s pitching staff was nearly untouchable the entire series. Their starters have now thrown 22 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, and they’ve held the Royals to just one run over the last three games. Kansas City was shut out in back-to-back games and has struggled mightily in recent weeks — going just 14-27 since their 24-16 start.
In the ninth, the Royals tried to mount a rally with back-to-back singles, but Rays closer Pete Fairbanks came on to induce a clutch 6-4-3 double play, sealing his 15th save of the year.
By the numbers:
- Jacob Lowe led the Rays with three hits.
- Tampa Bay is now 46-35, a season-best 11 games above .500.
- The Rays have now swept three road series this season — more than any other team in the majors.
Up Next:
- Rays: Ryan Pepiot (5-6, 3.04 ERA) will take the mound Friday as the Rays head to Baltimore to open a weekend series against the Orioles.
- Royals: Kansas City will try to rebound at home with Noah Cameron (2-3, 2.08 ERA) set to face Dustin May (4-5, 4.46 ERA) and the visiting Dodgers.