The Tampa Bay Rays will be in fine spirits as they return to Florida for a three-game homestand starting Tuesday night against the Kansas City Royals.
After a 5-1 road swing against the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres, the Rays have reached .500 by splitting 28 games and moving out of the American League East cellar. They are now in third place behind the frontrunning New York Yankees and second-place Boston Red Sox.
“We left home, and I think we were all frustrated a little bit with the way we performed and the lack of wins that we got while we were there,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We had a 13-game homestand. We’re only going home for three against a good Royals team but want to continue to play good baseball.”
With the early bulk of its schedule slated for home games to precede the Florida summer rain, Tampa Bay is only 9-10 at its temporary outdoor home park.
“I’m really, really impressed with the way the guys rebounded from getting on the plane, flushing what took place in Tampa, and won two series against two really good teams,” Cash added.
The American League clubs will send out right-handed pitchers who have struggled some in April: Kansas City’s Michael Lorenzen (2-3, 3.90 ERA) against Tampa Bay’s Taj Bradley (2-1, 5.08).
Drafted first by the Rays in 2010 and a second time by the Cincinnati Reds in 2013’s first round, Lorenzen is coming off a season-tying best performance — six innings and one run against the Colorado Rockies in a 6-2 win on Thursday. But the right-hander has gone 1-2 with a 4.41 ERA, eight walks and 19 hits allowed in 16 1/3 innings over his past three starts.
Against the Rays in his career, the first-year Royals pitcher has had excellent results over one start and one relief outing — 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in seven innings, yielding just one run on two hits.
Meanwhile, Bradley cannot claim the recent success of Lorenzen, as the 24-year-old Los Angeles native has dealt with hot offenses over the past three outings.
In 17 1/3 innings against the Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves, Bradley surrendered 10 runs and 20 hits with 13 strikeouts and eight walks. He went 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA.
Bradley has faced the Royals once when he did not allow a run over a five-inning start May 26 last season in a game that ended in a 4-1 Rays win.
The Royals enter the matchup after losing 7-3 in the home finale Sunday against the Houston Astros, but that setback should not slow down their momentum after reeling off six straight victories against the Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies and Astros, including two shutouts over the AL West club.
“It was a good week,” said Royals manager Matt Quatraro, whose group is just 3-10 on the road. “You come home and go 5-1 in a homestand, that’s pretty solid. Coming back off the road trip, that was definitely needed.”
Added leadoff hitter Jonathan India: “Definitely got back on track. … And we’re all still building.”
All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. leads the team with a .315 batting average and eight stolen bases. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino tops the team with three home runs and 16 RBIs.
–Field Level Media
