• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Rays down surging Royals

Jun 16, 2013 - 2:47 AM St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Luke Scott went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, while Evan Longoria added a home run and two RBI as the Tampa Bay Rays downed the Kansas City Royals, 5-3, in the third test of a four-game set at Tropicana Field.

Matt Joyce also homered for the Rays, who had dropped five of their last six games entering the contest.

Starting pitcher Alex Cobb left the game in the fifth inning after he was struck in the right side of the head with a line drive off the bat of Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer.

With no outs in the top of the fifth, Cobb delivered a 2-1 fastball that Hosmer ripped back up the middle, catching the right-hander squarely on the right side of his head.

Cobb immediately grabbed his head and fell to the ground, where he remained for several minutes as he was tended to by the Tampa Bay training staff before being eventually removed from the field on a stretcher.

Cobb, who remained conscious the entire time, was transported to Bayfront Medical Center where he was diagnosed with a mild concussion. All other medical tests came back normal.

"It was one of those really, really bad moments. Everyone feels terrible about it, but it is a part of our game," said Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon. "It stinks sometimes, and it is a horrible moment to witness."

He allowed two runs on four hits and walked three over 4 1/3 innings prior to exiting.

Alex Torres (2-0) earned the win after spinning 1 2/3 perfect innings of relief. Fernando Rodney stranded a pair of runners in the ninth to pick up his 14th save of the season.

Salvador Perez had two hits, including a solo homer, while Alex Gordon and Hosmer added one RBI apiece for Kansas City, which lost for just the second time in 11 games.

Jeremy Guthrie (7-4) was tagged with the loss after giving up five runs -- four earned -- on eight hits over seven innings. He walked three without striking out a batter.

"Giving them five (runs) is a little unusual, but we are still capable of putting up more than five, but we couldn't do it tonight," said Royals second baseman, and former Tampa Bay Ray, Elliot Johnson.

The Rays pushed a run across in the first inning to take an early lead. Ben Zobrist singled and moved to second when Hosmer couldn't handle Guthrie's pickoff attempt. Zobrist then advanced to third on Scott's infield single before coming around on Longoria's sacrifice fly to right.

Kansas City, though, took the lead in second inning. Gordon worked a bases- loaded walk to force Mike Moustakas across and Hosmer followed with a sacrifice fly to center to score Elliot Johnson.

Scott gave Tampa Bay the lead for good with his two-run shot in the third inning. Zobrist singled before Scott belted a Guthrie pitch, with the ball just clearing the wall in right-center field.

Joyce homered in the fifth and Longoria led off the sixth with another solo shot to make it 5-2.

Perez's solo homer in the eighth accounted for the final margin.

Game Notes

Joyce has homered four times over his last six games ... Longoria has hit safely in eight straight games ... The Royals were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base ... Perez has hit safely in 11 straight games ... Guthrie was charged with his first loss since May 25 against the Angels.