ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Junior Caminero hit three home runs and drove in six runs, Victor Mesa Jr. added a three-run homer and to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 13-2 victory against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday.
Opener Casey Legumina retired the first four batters before Ian Seymour (4-1) 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 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 Rays salvaged a split of the four-game series after dropping the first two games.
Tolbert, who started at shortstop for Kansas City, moved to the mound for the eighth inning, allowing five runs on six hits.
Caminero tied a franchise record with his three home runs and registered his sixth career multi-homer game and second this season. He hit a two-run home run in the first inning and added a solo shot in the fifth, both off Seth Lugo (3-5), before going deep off Tolbert in the ninth. Mesa hit a three-run shot to right field in the fourth.
Tampa Bay’s Yandy Diaz extended his hitting streak to nine games with a seventh-inning double.
Up next
Royals open a three-game series at the Chicago White Sox on Friday, with both teams yet to announce a starter.
Rays open a three-game series at home on Friday against Arizona with RHP Nick Martinez (6-2, 2.73 ERA) set to start while the Diamondbacks had yet to announce their starter.
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