The Tampa Bay Rays have swept another series.

The team picked up their 8th win in a row after taking down the Kansas City Royals 5-2 on the road at Kauffman Stadium. Here is what you need to know about the contest. 

After allowing a leadoff home run to Carter Jensen to begin the game, Ian Seymour was outstanding on the mound, shutting down the struggling Royals. He recorded 8 strikeouts over 6 innings of work and never allowed another earned run the rest of the way. 

The Royals picked up another solo shot from Isaac Collins off Cam Booser, who relieved Seymour in the seventh inning, but that’s it, as Bryan Baker picked up his 22nd save of the year. 

The experiment that Kevin Cash and the Rays coaching staff have attempted this season, moving multiple relievers back into a starting role, has worked wonderfully as of late. Players like Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour have truly solidified the backend of the starters, and turned the 5-man rotation into one of the best in baseball this season. 

Junior Caminero entered Thursday’s contest with a home run in 6 straight games. A feat that hasn’t happened in the Major Leagues since May 2024. As he was looking to get one game closer to the record of 8 straight, the 22-year-old superstar fell flat. Caminero was one of the few Rays players to not record a hit in the contest against the Royals in the finale, and his streak came to a close. He finished 0-for-5 on the day but is still having a fantastic last 7 games at the plate, hitting 8 home runs and an astonishing 1.626 OPS.

He will prepare for the upcoming weekend, when he and another frontrunner for the AL MVP award, Yordan Alvarez, will face off as the team travels to Houston to face the Astros.

Just as Caminero’s streak is coming to a close, a new one could be beginning to form inside the Rays batting order, and it would be a welcome sight if so. Cedric Mullins hit a homer Thursday to extend the lead for the final time in the 5th inning, it was his third straight game doing so. After dealing with plenty of criticism this season, the veteran outfielder is starting to turn a corner at a great time for the Rays to keep building a cushion inside the division. 

The team finished with 11 hits on the night and only struck out 3 times the entire game. Chandler Simpson also had a great game at the plate, going 3 for 4 and accounting for 2 runs himself. 

The Rays will hit the road to the Lone Star State as they are set to begin the final series of the road trip against the Houston Astros. The team will look to extend their winning streak to 9 games with an opening-series victory on Friday during the holiday weekend. Nick Martinez (7-2, 2.66 ERA)  will look to improve his All-Star hopes as he is set to make his 17th start of the season for the Rays. He will face right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (7-4, 4.00 ERA) for the Astros.  First pitch is scheduled for 8:15 PM EST.