Tampa Bay Rays at Kansas City Royals

Junior Caminero’s home run binge ended Thursday night, as he played a game without going deep for the first time since June 24, but the Rays’ winning streak is alive and well. The Rays finished a three-game sweep of the Royals and won their eighth straight game, riding a strong pitching performance from Ian Seymour and big hits from the bottom of the lineup to a 5-2 victory at Kauffman Stadium. This is Tampa Bay’s longest winning streak since the 2023 club got off to a 13-0 start. The Rays have outscored their opponents, 52-15, during this stretch while turning a three-game deficit in the American League East standings into a four-game lead over the Yankees. “We're going to have those ebbs and flows of the season,” veteran starter Nick Martinez said. “I think right now is a good time to have one of those flows headed into the All-Star break.” Here are three takeaways from the Rays’ latest win, which secured their MLB-leading ninth sweep of the season and improved their record to 51-33.