The game turned in the second inning and never turned back. Tampa Bay scored three times in that frame to erase an early Kansas City lead, and Ian Seymour made sure the Royals never recovered, carrying a 6-0 line with 8 strikeouts and 1 run allowed through six innings in a 5-2 Rays victory Thursday at Kauffman Stadium.
Seymour was the story on the mound. He allowed just 3 hits and 1 walk over 6.0 innings, striking out eight on 83 pitches. The win moves him to 5-1 on the season, with a 4.02 ERA. Bryan Baker closed it out with a perfect ninth inning, recording his 22nd save of the year.
Kansas City struck first when Carter Jensen homered to center — 449 feet — in the bottom of the first to put the Royals up 1-0. The lead lasted one half-inning. In the second, Taylor Walls doubled to right, scoring Chandler Simpson to tie the game at 1-1. Richie Palacios then singled to left, scoring Walls to give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead. Hunter Feduccia tripled to right, scoring Palacios to push it to 3-1. The Rays added two more in the fifth when Cedric Mullins homered to right — 385 feet — with Simpson scoring ahead of him, extending the lead to 5-1. Isaac Collins hit a solo shot to center in the seventh, 428 feet, to account for Kansas City's final run.
Stephen Kolek lasted only 2.0 innings for the Royals, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits with 1 walk and no strikeouts on 51 pitches. He falls to 4-3 with a 4.50 ERA. Kansas City managed just 5 hits on the night and could not sustain any threat after the early deficit.
Mullins finished 2-for-4 with 2 RBI and his 10th home run of the season. Simpson went 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored. Tampa Bay has won six straight and sits at 49-33, first in the division. Kansas City dropped to 35-51.