Taj Bradley retired the first 16 batters he faced and yielded two hits over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, while Danny Jansen clubbed a two-run homer and had three RBIs as the Tampa Bay Rays kept the Kansas City Royals winless at home in June with Tuesday night’s 5-1 victory.
Bradley (5-5) rolled until walking John Rave with one out in the sixth. Then, after a Kyle Isbel flyout, Jonathan India laced a ground-rule double down to right field. However, Bradley retired Bobby Witt Jr. on an inning-ending lineout to left.
The right-hander, who exited after giving up a two-out single to Salvador Perez in the seventh, had allowed 19 runs — 13 earned — in his previous three starts. Including six earned over 1 1/3 innings at Baltimore last Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Jansen provided the punch, and Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda each had three hits for the Rays, who are amid a 23-9 stretch.
Kansas City’s Kris Bubic (6-5) allowed four runs — two earned – on eight hits and didn’t yield a walk while striking out eight through six innings. The left-hander, who had a 1.43 ERA as recently as June 10, has given up 10 earned runs over 15 2/3 innings in his last three starts.
The Royals, who got a two-out, ninth-inning RBI single from Vinnie Pasquantino to account for their only run, managed four hits and have been outscored 36-12 in eight winless games at home since a 1-0 victory over Detroit on May 31.
Bubic got the first two batters of the second inning, then allowed a single to Jose Caballero. Jansen followed by clearing the left-field fence for a 2-0 Rays lead.
Tampa Bay made it 3-0 in the fourth. Aranda opened with a single, went to third on third baseman Maikel Garcia’s throwing error to second base on a double-play attempt off Jake Mangum’s grounder, then scored on Jansen’s sacrifice fly.
The Rays added on in the fifth via more poor defense by the Royals. Diaz reached on an infield hit, went to second when Curtis Mead singled and eventually scored on Bubic’s poor toss to first base off Aranda’s short tapper.
–Field Level Media
