Junior Caminero homered in his fifth consecutive game, a three-run shot to highlight Tampa Bay’s six-run third inning, and the Rays won their sixth straight game, beating the host Kansas City Royals 10-4 on Tuesday night.
Caminero, who has clubbed eight of his 23 home runs in the last seven games, joins Ronald Acuna Jr. (2018), Brian McCann (2006) and Jack Clark (1978) as the only four players aged 22 or younger since 1900 to homer in five straight contests.
Ryan Vilade also homered and Griffin Jax (4-5) allowed three runs and struck out five over six innings to win his third straight start for the Rays.
Bobby Witt Jr. clubbed a two-run homer and an eighth-inning solo shot as part of a three-hit night for the Royals, who have lost five of six.
Meanwhile, the six earned runs surrendered by Noah Cameron (4-6) were a season high, along with nine hits and three of Kansas City’s 11 walks allowed, in 3 2/3 innings.
The Royals opened the scoring when Carter Jensen extended his hitting streak to 20 games by sending the first pitch in the bottom of the first into the right-center field fountains.
Tampa Bay, though, broke out in the third, when the first eight batters reached against Cameron.
Nick Fortes opened by reaching second on a bunt single coupled with third baseman Nick Loftin’s throwing error. Yandy Diaz then walked, and Jonathan Aranda (two hits) dropped a run-scoring single to center.
Caminero, who also singled on the night, then cleared the left-field wall with his fifth homer against the Royals this season for a 4-0 Rays lead. Vilade followed with a homer to nearly the same spot and Ben Williamson later recorded an RBI single.
The Royals made it 6-3 in the bottom of the third when Isaac Collins doubled and scored on Witt’s drive into the left-field seats.
Williamson and Taylor Wells drew back-to-back walks in the fifth, advanced via catcher Jensen’s passed ball and both scored on Fortes’ single to left.
In the sixth, Kansas City’s Eric Cerantola walked six batters, allowing one run on a wild pitch with the bags full and another on a bases-loaded walk to Walls.
