Al---Star RHP Brad Boxberger (pictured) will be activated before Monday's game. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)
All-Star RHP Brad Boxberger (pictured) will be activated before Monday’s game. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)
Bluntly put, the Tampa Bay Rays have struggled since matching their season high four straight wins May 16-20, losing seven of nine as they begin a 10-game, three-city road trip. Their first stop on the trek is Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, a facility where wins don’t come easily ― the Rays have gone 9-18 at The K, extending back to 2008.

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Former Royals prospect Jake Odorizzi took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of Sunday’s finale with New York before issuing a walk in front of Starlin Castro, who hit a two-run homer for the Yankees’ only hit of the game. Because of it, Tampa Bay is coming off a 1-4 home stand.

Evan Longoria’s third inning RBI single was all the Rays could muster against RHP Nathan Eovaldi and the Yankees, who held the team to O-5 wRISP.

Their guy was good, but we’ve got to find a way to get some more runs there, manager Kevin Cash said. We had our opportunities. It just didn’t happen.

The Royals rallied for three straight wins after trailing in the seventh inning or later in a home sweep of the Chicago White Sox.

The productive weekend started Friday when Kansas City scored five late runs in a 7-5 victory. The next night, KC scored seven in the bottom of the ninth for a remarkable 8-7 win.

Finally, trailing 4-2 going into the eighth, Cheslor Cuthbert drove in the go-ahead run with an infield single, capping a three-run rally for a 5-4 win. Lorenzo Cain started the rally with a one-out solo homer.

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The Royals announced Sunday that beloved catcher Salvador Perez (quad contusion) is expected to be out 7-10 days, joining Alex Gordon (wrist) and Mike Moustakas (torn ACL) on the DL. Still, the reigning World Series champs have received strong contributions up and down the lineup, including Paulo Orlando, who has hit safely in 12 straight games. And despite their battle with the injury bug, the Royals are back on top of the AL Central. Eric Hosmer went 8-13 with seven RBI over the weekend, as Kansas City improved to 10-3 in its last 13 contests.

Kevin Cash will throw Matt Andriese (3-0, 2.63 ERA), Drew Smyly (2-6, 3.92 ERA), and Chris Archer (3-6, 4.62 ERA) over the next three days. Ned Yost will counter with Ian Kennedy (4-3, 3.38 ERA), Dillon Gee (1-2, 3.86 ERA), and Danny Duffy (0-0, 3.23 ERA).

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Rays series starters

Andriese is coming off of a six-inning, three-run start against Miami on Wednesday. He got a no-decision, snapping his streak of three wins in his first three starts of 2016. The righty collected six strikeouts, marking his best performance in that category among his four big league starts. Andriese has missed bats with the Durham Bulls consistently over the last two seasons, so there’s some promise here. However, his unsustainably excellent .225 BABIP and 3.4% HR/FB rate are potentially due a course correction.

Smyly took a 6 IP/6 H/5 R/1 BB/4 K loss Thursday afternoon against the Marlins. The southpaw was done in by a pair of two-out, two-run homers early in the game. Both homers came on hanging breaking pitches left in the zone. The loss raised Smyly’s overall ERA to 3.92 (its highest mark since April 13), and he has a 5.06 ERA through five May starts ― both are well above his performance in April when he posted a 2.60 ERA.

Archer allowed four runs (just one earned) on four hits and three walks, while fanning seven over eight innings of a 4-1 loss to the Yankees on Friday night. The righty was locked in a pitcher’s duel with Masahiro Tanaka until a pair of defensive miscues allowed things to unravel in the sixth inning. A walk, followed by two errors ― one his own throwing error ― led to New York’s first run, before Alex Rodriguez sent a two-run homer to straight-away centerfield. Be that as it may, the outing represented a huge leap forward for the Rays’ ace, who has not fared well for most of the 2016 season.

Royals series starters

Kennedy allowed two runs on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts over 3-1/3 rain soaked innings in a no-decision on Monday. Kennedy’s start was interrupted by a rain delay. even though he came out to pitch after the delay, the 31 year-old righty said the long inning after the delay factored in his early exit. Kennedy recovered well from a rough first inning, which included a homer off the bat of Joe Mauer, inducing 13 whiffs on 73 pitches. In 2016, Kennedy has relied primarily on a 93 mph-swing and-miss four-seam fastball, while also mixing in an 84 mph Vulcan changeup with a lot of backspin and fade, a 12-to-6 78 mph knuckle curveball, and an 87 mph worm burner of a cutter. Kennedy is 1-6 lifetime against Tampa Bay with a 6.86 ERA. Key matchups: Desmond Jennings (1-2, 2B), Brad Miller (3-4, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Logan Morrison (5-14, 2 3B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB)

Gee, in his fourth start of the season, looks to rebound from a tough outing against Minnesota. In that game he allowed six runs (five earned) on 10 hits including three home runs. Per Scott Spratt (FranGraphs), Gee has an opportunity to turn his declining performance around with the Royals.

Gee managed just 40 major league innings, spending the bulk of his season in the minors both because of injury issues and declining effectiveness. Since his best statistical season in 2012, Gee has experienced a three year decline in strikeout rate, ending in 5.7 strikeouts per nine season last year. The Mets let Gee walk this offseason, and he landed a minor league deal with the Mets’ World Series opponent, the Royals. The Royals are an attractive destination for pitchers because of their excellent defensive play. Their 56 Defensive Runs Saved were third most in baseball, although the bulk of that success came in the outfield, which benefits the roundball-heavy Gee (51% ground ball rate) less than most. For Gee to really rebound, he will likely need to a change in his mechanics or pitch mix ― at his best, Gee had a FIP of around 4.00 with average strikeout to walk ratios.

In 2016, Gee has relied primarily on a 91 mph sinker, while also mixing in an 87 mph slider, a 78 mph knuckle curveball, an 85 mph changeup, and a 91 mph four-seam fastball. Key matchup: Corey Dickerson (3-6, HR, RBI)

Duffy didn’t factor into the decision in Friday’s win over Chicago. He allowed five earned runs on five hits and over 5-1/3 innings, while striking out five. All of the damage came on back-to-back mistakes in the sixth inning, culminating in a Melky Cabrera grand slam which was immediately followed by a solo homer off the bat of Todd Frazier. Duffy was relatively sharp otherwise, throwing 61-of-76 pitches for strikes, while recording first-pitch strikes on 17-of-21 batters. The 27-year-old increased his pitch count for the second consecutive start, and the five runs were the first he’d given up since joining the rotation. Duffy has relied primarily on a 97 mph swing-and-miss four-seam fastball, also mixing in a 96 mph sinker, an 87 mph ground ball inducing changeup, and an 85 mph slider which generates a fair number of fly balls. Key matchups: Brandon Guyer (3-3, HR), Desmond Jennings (1-4, 3B), Evan Longoria (1-4, RBI), Brad Miller (2-7, 3B, RBI), Logan Morrison (1-2), Steve Pearce (1-4)

Noteworthiness

― The Rays have activated RHP Brad Boxberger from the disabled list, and placed RHP Ryan Webb on the 15-day DL with a right pectoral strain, retroactive to May 27.

― Brandon Guyer is 12-35 in his last nine contests, while Logan Morrison is 12-28 with seven RBI over his past eight.

― The Royals took six of seven from the Rays last season, and have won five in a row at home over this home stand.

― Royals OF Brett Eibner went 5-11 in his first three major-league games, while INF Whit Merrifield is 11-28 during a six-game hit streak.

 

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