He allowed a run in the first inning on a pair of two-out singles with a stolen base mixed in.
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Kiermaier squared to bunt at the first pitch and watched it bounce past catcher Perez for a wild pitch that moved Forsythe to second.
Tampa Bay acquired Matt Duffy on Monday in a four-player deal that sent left-hander Matt Moore to San Francisco.
Volquez gave up 11 hits in five-plus innings.
The resurgence of Rays starter Jake Odorizzi, now with three straight scoreless starts, is a reminder of the strong starting pitching Tampa Bay was supposed to have this season, though it’s frustrating those starts were seldom found in the previous two months.
Manager Kevin Cash said the Rays don’t expect Duffy to have any issues adjusting “whatsoever” back to short, and they are thrilled with the well-rounded work he does at the plate, showing off his flat, line drive-producing swing during a Wednesday batting practice session. The Rays are 8-25 against Kansas City since the start of the 2012 season.
The USC product boasts 123 strikeouts in 121 1/3 innings and has yielded three or fewer runs in six of his last eight starts with just one win in that span. Brad Miller is 3-for-4 with a homer versus Kennedy, who did not permit an earned run over six innings in a no-decision against Tampa Bay on May 30.Smyly snapped an 11-game winless stretch last Saturday when he limited the New York Yankees to two runs and four hits over six innings. Brad Miller, who had grounded out sharply to Royals second baseman Raul Mondesi in the first and third to strand a combined four runners, hit a ground ball to Mondesi’s left for a single.
The Rays scored their runs in the fifth inning when Logan Forsythe drew a leadoff walk against Royals starter Yordano Ventura. His last outing against the Rays, moreover, is something you’d want to repeat, holding Tampa Bay to one run (unearned) on three hits in six innings. “But I know our guys are too good to be splitting the series after we are ahead and getting swept in four games in Texas”.
“So now I’m just making sure that I’m 100 percent confident with this thing going forward and really with everything that I’m going to be asking of my Achilles on the baseball field from now on”.
“Tough loss”, said Rays’ manager Kevin Cash. Alex Gordon hit his eighth home.
Duffy will begin that transition with the Rays’ Class A affiliate in Port Charlotte, Florida, where he was expected to play about three innings on Thursday night.
“Perez is obviously a very good hitter”.
Kennedy entered tied with teammate Chris Young and Toronto knuckleballer R.A. Dickey with a major league-high 26 homers allowed but hasn’t given up a long ball in three consecutive starts.
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For the season, he’s 12 of 28 (.429) against the Reds with three doubles and five homers.
