Seven in a row! Royals beat Rays 8-1

Seth Lugo continues to lead the league in ERA.

Seth Lugo held the Rays to just four hits and one run and lowered his league-leading ERA to 1.74 in an 8-1 Royals win. Michael Massey hit a three-run home run, and Freddy Fermin rapped out two hits in a 12-hit barrage to take the first game in the series.

Tampa Bay struck first, loading the bases in the first inning, but Lugo escaped with just one run scoring, on an RBI ground out by Jonathan Aranda. Lugo got Randy Arozarena to fly out to end the threat with the Rays up 1-0.

The Royals got on the board in the fourth when they loaded the bases and Freddy Fermin drew a walk to force in a run against Tyler Alexander. Hunter Renfroe’s ground out scored another run to make it 2-1 Royals.

Royals hitters blew the game open in the fifth. Maikel Garcia led off with a single, and with two outs, Alexander plunked Salvador Perez. That set up a three-run home run to Massey, his sixth of the year, third-most on the team. Garrett Hampson added an RBI single in the sixth and Bobby Witt Jr. homered in the seventh, his eighth of the year. A Freddy Fermin RBI double made it 8-1 in the seventh inning.

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Lugo would last seven innings, allowing just the one first inning run. He only struck out three, but walked two and gave up four hits. Sam Long and Carlos Hernander each pitched hitless innings to preserve the win.

It was the seventh win in a row for the Royals, but they still stand one game back of the Guardians who are in Anaheim tonight. The Royals improve to 33-19 and can take the series tomorrow afternoon at 3:10 CT when Brady Singer faces Aaron Civale.