Even in Royals’ 10-4 loss to Rays, Bobby Witt Jr. bolsters his All-Star case
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bobby Witt Jr. hit two home runs; his 11th came off Griffin Jax.
- Cameron lasted 3 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits.
- Jax allowed three runs in six innings and earned the win.
The Kansas City Royals raced out to a quick lead against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
Rookie catcher Carter Jensen stepped into the left-handed batter’s box with a purpose in the bottom of the first inning. He entered on a 19-game hitting streak — and ready to do damage.
Damage he did. Jensen hammered a 94.5 mph sinker into the right-field fountains. It was his 12th home run of the season and his 28th hit during the streak, now at 20 games.
“You can’t get going any better than that,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “You know, against a guy like (Griffin) Jax, too, he throws a ton of strikes. So you’ve got to be ready to hit.”
Big blasts by Jensen and Bobby Witt Jr., twice, weren’t enough as the Royals (35-51) lost the series opener 10-4. The Rays crushed KC left-handed starter Noah Cameron and the club’s beleaguered bullpen.
Cameron lasted 3 2/3 innings. He allowed six runs on nine hits and once again struggled with his command. Across his last three starts, he has issued eight walks and recorded 11 strikeouts.
“You know, obviously, I let the team down,” Cameron said. “Didn’t help us win at all. Got through the first two innings clean. Carter starting the game off with a homer was huge.
“And yeah, I feel like it just kind of unraveled there in the third inning. Obviously I got hit around and was walking guys. I’ve just got to be better.”
Rays star Junior Caminero tagged Cameron in the third inning with a three-run homer. It the seventh home run in five games for Caminero, who said Tuesday he’ll participate in the All-Star Home Run Derby. He hit three in one game against the Royals last week.
Rays outfielder Ryan Vilade followed Caminero with a solo shot of his own off Cameron.
Tampa scored six runs in the third inning. Cameron missed with both fastballs and his secondary pitches. It also seemed like his velocity was down as he dealt with the sweltering heat.
“You know, watching it back, I thought I was just moving pretty slow,” Cameron said. “Yeah, just not explosive and you know, velo is down because of that. So yeah, I don’t know.
“Obviously, we’ll look back at this one, look at preparation, and heat is what it is. It’s Kansas City. You know, obviously, been living in this my whole life and it’s going to get worse.”
The Rays (49-33) added four more runs before Tuesday’s game was over. Royals relievers Connor Seabold and Eric Cerantola took the brunt of the damage.
Seabold pitched two-thirds of an inning before exiting with right-lat tightness. It appeared Seabold injured himself after a pickoff attempt to first base.
“He said he felt it prior to that,” Quatraro said.
Meanwhile, Cerantola struggled to find the strike zone. He walked six batters in one inning, throwing just 14 of 43 pitches for strikes overall.
The Rays have now outscored the Royals 34-23 in five games this season.
But Bobby Witt Jr., did his part for the Royals. He pulled KC within three runs in the third inning with his first of two home runs. Witt has just recently worked his way back into the lineup after taking a rare few games off with a knee injury.
“I think it’s just got the timing,” Witt said. “And so they just kind of go from there. Just try to take it how I normally take it (with) my routine. Prepare the way I prepare and go out there and compete.”
Witt’s 11th homer of the season came against Rays right-handed starter Jax, who left a 94.7 mph sweeper atop the strike zone. Witt drove the baseball into the left-field seats.
Later, Witt homered off Rays reliever Cole Sulser. It was Witt’s seventh career multi-homer game, and his first since Aug. 7, 2024 against the Boston Red Sox.
Jax allowed no other damage.
In the fourth inning, the Royals left outfielder Lane Thomas stranded on third. Thomas had hit a leadoff double, but Michael Massey, Salvador Perez and John Rave failed to drive him in.
Massey lined out to right field. Perez lined out to second baseman Ben Williamson with the infield drawn in. And Rave grounded out.
The Royals finished 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position Tuesday. Jax allowed three runs in six innings and picked up his fourth victory. In two starts against the Royals, he has walked just two and struck out 12 batters.
“Kind of just trying to see him up,” Jensen said of Jax. “Know that he has good stuff that plays at the bottom of the (strike) zone. But as long as you don’t chase, you’ll be fine. So obviously, that’s easier said than done. But it felt pretty similar.”
Cameron took the loss. He now owns a 4-6 record with a 4.95 ERA this season.
What’s next: Royals right-hander Seth Lugo (3-5, 4.18 ERA) will start on Wednesday opposite Rays lefty Shane McClanahan (6-5, 3.30 ERA). First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. Central Time.
This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 9:41 PM.
