Rays 4, Royals 9: You Really Can’t Predict Baseball

How did the Tampa Bay Rays lose a game when the odds were so heavily in their favor?

Seriously, if you told me that the Rays would lose to the Kansas City Royals after getting a four-run lead on Jordan Lyles, who was 0-11 this season with a 6.72 ERA, and with the Royals going 0-15 in his starts, I would have taken that bet in a heartbeat. Good thing I don’t bet.

This game should've and could've been the Wander comeback game if only it ended after two innings instead of nine.

Wander Franco, who was playing his first game after being benched for two, showed his enthusiasm right off the bat, literally and figuratively. He sent a solo home run flying in the first inning and added an RBI single in the second. The Rays' early efforts led them to a promising 4-0 lead. Unfortunately, the Royals' pitching staff put up a defensive blockade, shutting out the Rays from the fourth inning onward, allowing only a single to Vidal Brujan in the fourth before retiring the final 17 batters in order en route to turning the Rays' 47-11 record when scoring at least four runs into a 47-12 record.

Yonny Chirinos started for the Rays and had his share of struggles in this game. Despite his previously successful track record against Kansas City with a 2-0 record in three games with a 4.32 ERA (16.2IP, 8ER), he found himself in hot water, giving up seven runs over five and two-thirds innings which turned out to be two and two-thirds too many.

The fatal blow came when Freddy Fermin of the Royals launched a three-run homer in the fourth inning, driving in Edward Olivares and Drew Waters. This massive hit turned the game on its head, shifting the Royals from trailing 4-3 to leading 6-4. Shortly after, Bobby Witt Jr. added to the Royals' tally with an RBI double, making the score 7-4.

A momentary bright side came for the Rays with a crucial defensive pl; Bobbyby Witt Jr. was tagged out at third following a successful challenge by the Rays in the fourth inning, thanks to the combined efforts of Francisco Mejia and Taylor Walls. This play slowed the Royals' momentum, but only temporarily. They continued their scoring spree with Olivares knocking a solo home run in the eighth, which made the score 9-4.

Lyles' outing ended on a high note, ending the Royals' 15-game losing streak when he was on the mound. Carlos Hernandez and Nick Wittgren combined to hold the Rays hitless and scoreless for the last three innings.

Being the first team to lose to Lyles isn't the number one spot the team wants to hold.

This game was a clear reminder of the unpredictability of baseball. The good news for the Rays is the loss is only one game out of 162, and today's runs allowed do not roll over into tomorrow's game. As for the Royals, they've shown they still have some fight in them after the bottom of their order helped put them on top, with eight of their nine runs coming from their six through nine slots.

These two teams will close out this series tomorrow at 1:40 PM ET, with Tyler Glasnow (2-1, 4.97) taking the mound for the Rays opposite Daniel Lynch (1-3, 4.45).