Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays Match Player Stats On May 09, 2017

The Sports Xchange
May 9, 2017

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Mike Moustakas homered with one out in the top of the 12th inning as the Kansas City Royals rallied from a four-run deficit and recorded a 7-6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night.

Moustakas gave their only lead of the night when he hit a 1-2 pitch from Diego Moreno (0-1) over the right field fence. The third baseman's eighth home run of the season gave the Royals consecutive road wins following an eight-game road losing streak.

Rookie Jake Junis (1-0) pitched a scoreless 11th in his second major league appearance for the win. Kelvin Herrera pitched the 12th for his fifth save.

The Royals entered Tuesday 1-14 when trailing after seven innings this season, but six Kansas City relievers combined for 12 strikeouts and held the Rays scoreless over the final six innings.

Down 5-1 in the sixth, the Royals got a two-run home run from Salvador Perez -- his seventh of the season -- off Rays starter Matt Andriese to cut the lead to 5-3. The Rays added a solo home run in the sixth from Brad Miller (his second of the year) to make it 6-3.

Kansas City made it a one-run game in the seventh on an RBI groundout by Moustakas and a run-scoring single by Eric Hosmer. The Royals tied the game in the eighth on a single by Alex Gordon off Jumbo Diaz.

Rookie reliever Jose Alvarado, the Rays' seventh pitcher of the game, threw two scoreless innings on a combined 14 pitches, but in the 12th, Moreno (0-1) took the loss in his Rays debut.

Kansas City loaded the bases in the 12th after Moustakas' home run, but Moreno struck out Whit Merrifield to end the inning.

The Royals, who brought 37-year-old Chris Young out of the bullpen for his first start in 10 months, had trouble in the first inning, as the Rays tagged him for four runs on five hits.

With two outs in the first, six straight Rays reached base. The Rays built a 4-0 lead on a two-run home run by Logan Morrison and RBI singles by Tim Beckham and Kevin Kiermaier.

Rays starter Matt Andriese gave up one run in the first five innings, as Jorge Bonifacio hit a line-drive single to center that Kiermaier misplayed for a two-base error. The runner was balked in from third, and Rays manager Kevin Cash was ejected arguing the balk call, which cut the Rays' lead to 4-1.

Young lasted three innings, throwing 66 pitches, allowing seven hits and four runs. Tampa Bay took a 5-1 lead on a Beckham single off Travis Wood in the fifth.

Andriese wound up allowing three runs (two earned) in 5 1/3 innings.

NOTES: Before Tuesday's game, the Rays optioned rookie RHP Austin Pruitt to Triple-A Durham and purchased the contract of RHP Diego Moreno from Triple-A Durham. ... The Rays sent minor league RHP Bryan Bonnell to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday in exchange for international signing slot No. 71. ... Rays LHP Justin Marks, who had been designated for assignment earlier this week, was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers, who assigned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City. ... The Royals placed LHP Scott Alexander (strained right hamstring strain) on the 10-day disabled list. RHP Jake Junis was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to take his place. ... Rays SS Matt Duffy, who hasn't played this season as he recovers from an Achilles tendon injury, began a rehab assignment with Class A Charlotte on Tuesday, going 1-for-3.