The Tampa Bay Rays are proving that payroll size does not always decide the standings. While clubs with huge spending power continue to shape the labor debate, the third-lowest-spending team in baseball is sitting in first place in a division packed with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays.
That backdrop gives this series extra weight for Kansas City, which split four games with Tampa Bay last week and now meets a team that is on a five-game winning streak. At Kauffman Stadium, the Rays bring a 48-33 record, while the Royals enter at 35-50 and still trying to steady a rough stretch.
| Team | Record | Runs Scored/Game | Runs Allowed/Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rays | 48-33 | 4.52 | 4.22 |
| Kansas City Royals | 35-50 | 4.20 | 5.02 |
Rays bats are carrying the surge
Yandy Diaz had four hits against the Royals last week and has stayed hot in June, hitting .391/.468/.489 for the month. His MLB-best batting average now sits at .336, which has become one of the clearest signs of Tampa Bay’s steady production.
Junior Caminero has been even louder over his last 11 games, hitting .415/.468/.927 with seven home runs. Jonny Deluca has also been strong away from home, batting .309/.356/.509 in road games.
There are still some weak spots in the Rays lineup. Taylor Walls is hitting just .203/.300/.261 against lefties, and the team has only a 72 percent success rate in steals while also being tied for being picked off the most.
Pitching matchup gives Tampa Bay multiple paths
www.royalsreview.com noted that the Royals will face three starters they already saw last week in Tampa Bay, which adds familiarity to the series. Griffin Jax allowed just two unearned runs in five innings against Kansas City and owns a 2.40 ERA in 11 starts, though he has not gone beyond five innings in any start.
Jax has also been sharp lately, giving up just two earned runs in his last four outings for a 0.90 ERA. Shane McClanahan had a rougher showing against the Royals last week, giving up six runs with only two earned, and his road ERA this season is 4.38 compared with 2.21 at home.
Lefties have struggled against McClanahan all season, hitting just .164/.258/.327. For Thursday, neither team has named a starter yet, though the Rays are expected to go with Ian Seymour again and Stephen Kolek should return from paternity leave by then.
Seymour delivered six no-hit innings against Kansas City as the bulk arm behind opener Casey Legumina. He leans heavily on his changeup, throwing it 33 percent of the time, and opponents are hitting only .141 against it.
Where the game could swing late
The Rays bullpen has not been perfect, posting a 4.40 ERA that ranks ninth-worst in baseball. Even so, Bryan Baker has converted 21 of 24 save chances and has allowed just one run in his last 14 innings.
Garrett Cleavinger has also been tough on lefties, who are hitting just .185/.324/.222 against the Kansas-born reliever. Kevin Kelly, meanwhile, has been vulnerable to hard contact, with opposing hitters posting a 47.6 percent hard-hit rate against him, the second-highest mark in baseball.
Tampa Bay has been the best team in baseball at home, but that form has not followed it on the road, where it is just 17-21 and has not won a road series since mid-May. Kansas City looked competitive in the first two games of last week’s set before fading late, and after a rough weekend in Chicago, it needs a stronger finish to its final homestand before the All-Star Game.