Shane Baz goes 8 scoreless in longest start of career as Rays blank Royals 4-0 for 3-game sweep

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Shane Baz allowed three hits over a career-best eight innings, Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero hit back-to-back homers in the sixth, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 4-0 on Thursday for a three-game sweep.

Baz (8-3) struck out nine and walked one. Jacob Lowe had three hits for the Rays, and Jake Mangum hit a run-scoring triple.

Tampa Bay has won five of six to move a season-high 11 games above .500 (46-35) and a half-game behind the AL East-leading New York Yankees, who were off Thursday.

Paul Gervase gave up singles to Jonathan India and Vinnie Pasquantino before Pete Fairbanks came on with one out in the ninth and got Maikel Garcia to ground into a 6-4-3 double play for his 15th save.

Tampa Bay starters have thrown 22 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings.

The Royals were also shut out on Wednesday and scored one run in their three losses to the Rays. Kansas City has gone 14-27 (.341) – third worst in the majors over that span – since starting the season 24-16 (.600).

Jonathan Aranda hit a two-out double and then scored on Mangum’s triple off starter Michael Lorenzen (4-8) before Josh Lowe added an RBI single to cap Tampa Bay’s two-run fourth.

The Rays are the first team in the majors to sweep three road series this season. Tampa Bay swept a three-game series at the New York Mets earlier this month and won three straight at San Diego in April.

Tampa Bay’s Ryan Pepiot (5-6, 3.04 ERA) takes the mound Friday against host Baltimore’s Tomoyuki Sugano (5-4, 3.55). Kansas City’s Noah Cameron (2-3, 2.08) pitches against right-hander Dustin May (4-5, 4.46) of the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.