Series victory eludes Kansas City Royals with Sunday road loss to Tampa Bay Rays
Kansas City Royals starter Daniel Lynch found himself on the short end of a pitcher’s duel in a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday at Tropicana Field.
Lynch matched Rays ace Tyler Glasnow for multiple innings. But Glasnow, who struck out 12, was electric from the start. He had the Royals’ lineup bewildered with his overpowering fastball.
Minus the lofty strikeout total, Lynch was just as effective. He allowed one run in six innings of work. It was another solid outing after his one-hit performance against the Detroit Tigers.
“Any time you go against a guy of that caliber, it’s going to be a battle,” Lynch said.
Lynch made one mistake. He threw an 88.5 mph slider to Rays outfielder Jose Siri, who put a good swing on it for his 14th home run.
“I would’ve liked to get a win, maybe not give up that homer, and stayed in the game a little longer,” Lynch said. “Overall, I think it was pretty good.”
The Royals (22-56) got that run back in the fourth inning, but another error thrashed their chances late. In the eighth, Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. committed a throwing error after fielding a ground ball.
He threw wildly to first base and allowed two runners to reach scoring position.
“I just pulled it left,” Witt said. “I just made a bad throw.”
Royals reliever Taylor Clarke threw a wild pitch and the Rays took a late 2-1 lead. Rays designated hitter Harold Ramirez added an insurance run to seal the victory.
Former Royals draft pick Jason Adam pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Rays. Pete Fairbanks, the former Missouri Tigers pitcher, worked the ninth for the save.
The Royals split the four-game set with the Rays and finish this road trip 3-4. They’re off Monday.
“We were in it right to the end,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “They threw really good pitching at us. We got to put the ball in play a little bit more. But our pitchers threw the ball really well.”
Missed previous games of the series?
Game 1: Drew Waters shines as Royals win 6-5 over Rays
Game 2: Rays score 11 runs to even series against Royals
Game 3: Jordan Lyles earns first win as Royals overpower Rays
Here are more notables from Sunday’s game:
Tip your cap: Tyler Glasnow’s 12 strikeouts
The Royals struggled to pick up Rays ace Glasnow. He utilized his electric fastball, which topped out at 98.6 mph, to keep the Royals off-balance.
Glasnow induced 24 swings and 12 whiffs with the pitch. He struck out the side three times and was effective in the strike zone.
“He has elite stuff,” Quatraro said. “He has a plus fastball and when he can elevate it, it’s really tough to lay off. He’s got two plus breaking balls. Swing and miss in the (strike) zone gets you to chase. He is an elite pitcher.”
In addition to his fastball, Glasnow also relied on a slider and curveball. Both pitches were effective when thrown to both sides of the plate.
Glasnow pitched five innings. He allowed four hits and one run.
Maikel Garcia puts Royals on the board
Royals infielder Maikel Garcia is in a nice groove. He feasted on opposing pitchers during the Royals’ seven-game road swing.
During that span and entering Sunday’s finale, Garcia was hitting .348 (8-for-23) with a home run, three RBIs, five runs and three stolen bases.
He added to those numbers against the Rays. In the fourth inning, he hit an RBI single that drove in Witt.
It was Garcia’s 18th RBI this season.
What’s next: The Royals are off Monday before beginning a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium against the Cleveland Guardians.
This story was originally published June 25, 2023 at 3:38 PM.
