Game Thirty-One: Kansas City Royals at Tampa Bay Rays

Kansas City goes for a series victory at the Stein.

The Kansas City Royals will take on the Tampa Bay Rays, who at long last are playing in Tampa, this evening at George M. Steinbrenner field. What a sentence that was. The Royals took last night’s game by a score of 3-1. With a win tonight, they can secure a third consecutive series victory and push their record above .500 for the first time since April 10.

Noah Cameron will make his big league debut tonight as Kansas City’s starting pitcher. A 2021 seventh-round pick of the Royals out of Central Arkansas, Cameron has pitched exceptionally well at each of his minor league stops (save for a tough second half of 2023 in Double-A). He makes up for a lackluster fastball with a great changeup and a solid curveball, as well as his good command. He has been home run prone at times, which could be an issue in a ballpark that has been favorable to home run hitters this season.

The Rays will counter with Drew Rasmussen. Rasmussen has dealt with a ton of injuries throughout his career but has generally been very good when healthy. That has been the case this year as he has posted a 2.10 ERA/2.30 FIP in five starts. He throws a ton of fastballs, with a cutter, four-seamer, and sinker representing about 87% of his pitches. Rasmussen last faced Kansas City in August of 2022, allowing two runs in 5.2 innings.

First pitch: 6:05 pm CDT

Royals lineup