Hot-hitting Royals top Rays for seventh straight win

Michael Massey belted a three-run homer and Seth Lugo tossed seven strong innings to fuel the Kansas City Royals to an 8-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr. launched a solo shot to lead off the seventh inning for his third homer in his past three games.

Freddy Fermin had an RBI double and Garrett Hampson added an RBI single for the Royals, who matched a season high with their seventh straight win. Kansas City has scored eight or more runs in each of its past five games.

Tampa Bay, in turn, saw its season-high skid extend to five games.

Massey scored on a fielder's choice to give Kansas City a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning before he provided some breathing room in the fifth. Massey deposited a first-pitch sweeper from Tyler Alexander (2-3) over the wall in right-center for his sixth homer of the season and second in his past three games.

Massey, however, exited the game in the sixth inning with low back tightness.

Hampson's single to center field staked the Royals to a 6-1 lead in the sixth before Witt sent a 1-2 fastball from Alexander over the wall in center in the seventh for his eighth homer of the season. Fermin added an RBI double later in the seventh inning to push Kansas City's advantage to 8-1.

The offense was more than enough for Lugo (8-1), who allowed one run on four hits and two walks, striking out three. His win total is tops in the American League.

Alexander, in turn, took the loss after permitting eight runs on 11 hits in five innings. He relieved opener Shawn Armstrong, who did not allow a hit and struck out three in two scoreless innings

The Rays scored a run on a fielder's choice in the first inning before Royals left fielder Nelson Velazquez walked with the bases loaded in the fourth to tie the score.

--Field Level Media