By MATT PIKE
Junior Caminero hit three home runs, driving in six runs and Victor Mesa Jr. added a three-run home run as three pitchers combined for 8.1 no-hit innings to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 13-2 victory against the Kansas City Royals at Tropicana Field.
The Rays salvaged a split of the four-game series after dropping the first two games as opener Casey Legumina retired the first four batters before Ian Seymour took over in the second inning. The pair combined to retire the first 16 Kansas City batters before Starling Marte drew a one-out walk in the sixth off Seymour.
Craig Kimbrel started the ninth inning with a walk to Marte, then struck out Tyler Tolbert before allowing a two-run home run to Carter Jensen to the right-field stands for the Royals’ only hit of the game. The lone hit for Jensen extended his hit streak to 16 games. Caminero tied a franchise record with his three home runs, the first three home run game of his career, and registered his sixth career multi home run game and second this season.
He hit a two-run home run in the first inning and added a solo shot in the fifth inning, both off Royals starter Seth Lugo, who took the loss falling to 3-5 on the season, before going deep off Tyler Tolbert, who started the game at shortstop, in the ninth inning. Lugo gave up seven runs in five innings of work, striking out three and walking two. Mesa hit his three-run shot to right field in the fourth inning. Tampa Bay’s Yandy Diaz extended his hitting streak to nine games with a seventh-inning double.
Kansas City will now travel to Chicago tomorrow to face the White Sox. Neither team has yet to announce a starter. Stephen Kolek was set to start for the Royals, but will be on the paternity list after the birth of his first child. First pitch is at 6:40pm, pregame will begin at 6 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).
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