Kansas City Royals vs Tampa Bay Rays Box Score on Aug 21, 2018

Blake Snell gave up one run on four hits over six innings and struck out 11, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Snell (15-5) set a major league record with his 13th consecutive home start allowing one earned run or none, passing Max Lanier of the Cardinals, who did it 12 times in a row from June 10, 1943, to May 7, 1944.

The left-hander also became the second pitcher in the live-ball era (since 1920) with 160 or more strikeouts and fewer than 35 runs allowed through 24 starts, joining Bob Gibson (168 strikeouts, 31 runs allowed in 1968). Snell has 160 strikeouts and has allowed 34 runs.

Willy Adames homered and had three hits, and Joey Wendle had a two-run triple for Tampa Bay, which won its third straight game. Tommy Pham had three hits and a walk for the Rays before leaving with a hand injury sustained while diving back to first base in the eighth.

Sergio Romo pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 17th save.

Ryan O'Hearn homered and Whit Merrifield had a double and a walk for Kansas City, which is winless in five games against the Rays this season. Glenn Sparkman (0-2), making just his second start of the season, picked up the loss, allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out five.

Adames gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead in the second inning with his seventh home run of the season, a towering drive to left-center that hit the C-ring hanging from the roof, the fifth player to accomplish the feat this season.

Wendle extended the lead to 3-0 in the fourth with a two-out triple down the right field line, driving in Michael Perez, who had singled, and Pham, who had walked.

O'Hearn cut it to 3-1 with his fifth homer of the season in the fifth, a 406-foot drive to left-center that snapped Tampa Bay's franchise-record-tying streak of 27 consecutive innings without allowing a run. The Rays also had a streak that long from Sept. 12-15, 2013.

The Rays made it 4-1 in the sixth on back-to-back doubles by Mallex Smith and Pham, the latter a ground-rule drive over the wall in right-center.

--Field Level Media