.Souza hit his 29th earlier in the fifth, snapping a 3-3 tie.Rays right-hander Jake Odorizzi (7-7), who failed to make it out of the fourth inning in his previous two starts, allowed three runs and four hits over five-plus innings.''It's the first time it's been done since I've been here,'' Odorizzi said of winning a series in Kansas City. ''It's a tough place. To come in and beat a team like that here for a series, it's a gauge of where we are right now and the direction we're heading.'' Tampa Bay is 3 1/2 games behind Minnesota for the final AL wild card, and Kansas City is a game behind the Rays.Hechavarria homered with one out in the Rays' three-run third. The inning also included Souza's RBI single and Evan Longoria's sacrifice fly.Whit Merrifield hit a three-run homer in the third to account for all of the Royals' runs.''We didn't really have many opportunities,'' Royals manager Ned Yost said. ''Whit with the big three-run homer, but, outside of that just really not much going on.'' Vargas gave up five runs and seven hits, including the three home runs, over six innings. The All-Star left-hander started the year 12-3 with an AL-leading 2.22 ERA, but is 2-6 with a 7.20 ERA over his past 10 starts.''Just frustrating because I felt really good about what we were doing and, a tough one to swallow when you feel that good,'' Vargas said.Alex Colome gave up a single in the ninth, but picked up his major league-leading 40th save in 45 chances.GORDON SITSRoyals left fielder Alex Gordon, who is hitting .199 with five home runs and 37 RBIs, was not in the lineup for the second straight game.SWEET 16 CLUBSix Royals have 16 or more home runs - Merrifield, Jorge Bonifacio, Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez, Mike Moustakas and Brandon Moss. That matches the 1977 team for a club record with six players hitting at least 16 homers. George Brett, Hal McRae, Amos Otis, Darrell Porter, Al Cowens and John Mayberry accomplished it that season.TRAINER'S ROOMRoyals: RHP Trevor Cahill (shoulder impingement syndrome) threw all of his pitches in a 30-pitch bullpen series and said he felt good. He could be activated Friday when rosters can expand to 40.UP NEXTRays: After a day off Thursday, LHP Blake Snell will start Friday at the White Sox. He held the Cardinals to four hits and two runs over seven innings Saturday in a no-decision in his prior start.Royals: RHP Jason Hammel will start Friday in the series opener at Minnesota after a travel day Thursday.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
Sub-.500 Rays, Royals continue wild-card chase 1h ago• 3 min read KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals have sub-.500 records.Normally that would rule a club out of postseason contention by the end of August, but this year is different. The Rays (66-68) and the Royals (65-66) are among a plethora of American League clubs contending for a wild-card berth.The Minnesota Twins own the second wild-card position, but the Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Kansas City and Tampa Bay are all within 3 1/2 games of that sacred spot."We're still in the middle of this thing," said Whit Merrifield, who homered in the third inning Tuesday to end the Royals' 45-inning scoreless skid, leading Kansas City to a 6-2 victory."We've got a month and some change left, and we're three games back for the wild card. We've got a good shot at this thing. We believe in ourselves. We're going to keep chugging away, and hopefully we can build on this." The Rays and Royals conclude their three-game series Thursday at Kauffman Stadium after splitting the first two games."We're getting down to the end right now, so each game is huge for us," said Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, who hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning Tuesday.The Rays' Wednesday starter will be right-hander Jake Odorizzi, who made his major league debut with the Royals. He started two games in 2012 for Kansas City but was traded to Tampa Bay after the season as part of a package to get Wade Davis and James Shields.Will Odorizzi get an adrenaline rush facing his former club?"It's been a while (since he pitched for Kansas City)," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "He's kind of been there, done that, but I would imagine he's got some good buddies over there."That brings the competition a little bit more, but I think Jake is really just focused on going out and giving a good outing and helping us try to win a game here in Kansas City." Odorizzi (6-7, 4.82 ERA) has lasted just 3 2/3 innings in each of his past two starts, the first time in his career he went less than four innings in back-to-back outings.In a no-decision Friday at St. Louis, Odorizzi gave up three runs, three hits, including a home run, and four walks while striking out four.He has been haunted by the long ball, allowing at least one home run in all but two of his 22 starts this year. Odorizzi has permitted 27 gopher balls in 112 innings, two homers shy of matching his career high set in 2016 in 187 2/3 innings.Odorizzi has not fared well against the Royals, posting a 1-4 record with a 4.65 ERA in six career starts. He has pitched once at Kauffman Stadium as a visitor, allowing 10 hits and seven runs in five innings during a loss on April 9, 2014.Hosmer is 5-for-15 with a home run against Odorizzi. Alcides Escobar is 3-for-4 (.214), and Salvador Perez is 4-for-13 (.308).The Royals will counter with left-hander Jason Vargas, who pitched an inning in the All-Star Game. He began the season 12-3 with a 2.62 ERA. Vargas, however, is 2-5 with a 6.69 ERA in eight starts since the All-Star break.Vargas (14-8, 3.72 ERA) is 7-4 with a 3.57 ERA in 13 home starts this season. He is 15-10 with a 4.01 as a Royal at Kauffman Stadium.He is 5-5 with a 2.80 ERA in 12 career outings, 11 of them starts, against the Rays. Vargas beat Tampa Bay 6-0 on May 11 at Tropicana Field.Vargas lost his last start, on Friday in Cleveland, permitting four runs and six hits in five innings. Francisco Lindor hit a two-run homer off Vargas in the fifth inning. Vargas has surrendered 19 home runs in 145 1/3 innings.
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