The Tampa Bay Rays brought a five-game win streak into Tuesday night’s matchup against the Kansas City Royals, but Taj Bradley’s excellent start went to waste. Freddy Fermin’s three hits and Michael Lorenzen’s stellar pitching effort helped the Royals post a 3-1 win at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Bradley, who falls to 2-2 on the season, allowed just two runs and five hits in seven innings of work. He did his best to keep Royals hitters guessing all night long, but his teammates didn’t provide any real offense.
Lorenzen kept Tampa Bay hitters guessing
That was due to Lorenzen (3-3) fooling Rays’ hitters with his arsenal of pitches. Tampa Bay’s lone run of the night came on a solo home run from Junior Caminero in the fourth inning. Caminero went 3-for-4 and almost hit for the cycle.
Michael Lorenzen with a solid outing against the Rays pic.twitter.com/8whiNt4JEw
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 30, 2025
Three relievers followed Lorenzen to the mound with Carlos Estévez picking up eighth save. It was the 50th career win for the Lorenzen.
Bobby Witt Jr. continued to stay hot at the plate, extending his hit streak to 20 games.
Bobby Witt Jr. becomes the 8th player in @Royals history with a 20-game hitting streak! pic.twitter.com/IHKyMWEHoJ
— MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2025
His eighth-inning single gives Witt the Major Leagues’ longest hit streak since José Iglesias put together a 22-game streak in Sept. 6-30, 2024, according to The Associated Press.
The Rays were in a good position to potentially tie the game late. Down 2-1 in the eighth, Brandon Lowe and Caminero hit back-to-back singles off of Kansas City reliever Lucas Erceg. But he bounced back quickly, getting Jonathan Aranda out on strikes and coaxing Christopher Morel into grounding out to end the inning.
Rays not good in run-scoring opportunities
Tampa Bay ended up being 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, not a good recipe for victory. The Rays need to be better in this category while facing solid teams like the Royals.
The Rays (14-14) have lost six of their last seven games at their makeshift home this season, Steinbrenner Field. Tampa Bay looks to get back on the winning path on Wednesday.
Tampa Bay righthander Drew Rasmussen (1-1) goes opposite Kansas City rookie lefthander Noah Cameron, who will be making his MLB debut.
The Tampa Bay Rays brought a five-game win streak into Tuesday night’s matchup against the Kansas City Royals, but Taj Bradley’s excellent start went to waste. Freddy Fermin’s three hits and Michael Lorenzen’s stellar pitching effort helped the Royals post a 3-1 win at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Bradley, who falls to 2-2 on the season, allowed just two runs and five hits in seven innings of work. He did his best to keep Royals hitters guessing all night long, but his teammates didn’t provide any real offense.
Lorenzen kept Tampa Bay hitters guessing
That was due to Lorenzen (3-3) fooling Rays’ hitters with his arsenal of pitches. Tampa Bay’s lone run of the night came on a solo home run from Junior Caminero in the fourth inning. Caminero went 3-for-4 and almost hit for the cycle.
Michael Lorenzen with a solid outing against the Rays pic.twitter.com/8whiNt4JEw
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 30, 2025
Three relievers followed Lorenzen to the mound with Carlos Estévez picking up eighth save. It was the 50th career win for the Lorenzen.
Bobby Witt Jr. continued to stay hot at the plate, extending his hit streak to 20 games.
Bobby Witt Jr. becomes the 8th player in @Royals history with a 20-game hitting streak! pic.twitter.com/IHKyMWEHoJ
— MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2025
His eighth-inning single gives Witt the Major Leagues’ longest hit streak since José Iglesias put together a 22-game streak in Sept. 6-30, 2024, according to The Associated Press.
The Rays were in a good position to potentially tie the game late. Down 2-1 in the eighth, Brandon Lowe and Caminero hit back-to-back singles off of Kansas City reliever Lucas Erceg. But he bounced back quickly, getting Jonathan Aranda out on strikes and coaxing Christopher Morel into grounding out to end the inning.
Rays not good in run-scoring opportunities
Tampa Bay ended up being 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, not a good recipe for victory. The Rays need to be better in this category while facing solid teams like the Royals.
The Rays (14-14) have lost six of their last seven games at their makeshift home this season, Steinbrenner Field. Tampa Bay looks to get back on the winning path on Wednesday.
Tampa Bay righthander Drew Rasmussen (1-1) goes opposite Kansas City rookie lefthander Noah Cameron, who will be making his MLB debut.
