Royals unable to overcome early deficit, lose series finale with Rays

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

After falling behind 4-0 in the first two innings of action, the Royals could not erase its early deficit completely, leading to a 10-8 loss in their series rubber match with the Rays. With just eight games left before the All-Star break, Kansas City sits seven games above the .500 mark but remains stuck in third place in the American League Central Division standings.

Alec Marsh only tossed three innings in his start on the mound for the Royals, giving up five runs on six hits. Carlos Hernandez relieved Marsh in the fourth frame but suffered similar results, allowing three runs despite not surrendering a single hit during his outing. Hernandez did walk three batters in this contest.

By the sixth inning, the Royals trailed by as many as five runs but cut that deficit down to just two runs in the final frame, following Bobby Witt Jr.'s 14th home run of the season.

Tampa Bay recorded 16 hits while Kansas City posted 10 hits of their own. Witt Jr. led the charge on offense for Kansas City with a three-hit, two-RBI performance. Michael Massey also blasted his eighth home run of the campaign in the second inning.

Up next - Matt Quatraro's crew travels to Colorado to kick off an eight-game road trip ahead of the All-Star break. Kansas City's series with the Rockies is scheduled to get underway on Friday, July 5 at 7:10 p.m.