Kansas City @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 8, 2014 ) Kansas City 3, Tampa Bay 4

The Tampa Bay Rays surprisingly had the worst record in baseball for most of June, but as the All-Star break approaches they are creeping toward playoff contention. The Rays won 11 of their last 14 contests and can capture their fourth consecutive series when they host the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday in the rubber match of a three-game set. “We’re used to doing this in the past,” Rays manager Joe Maddon told reporters after Tuesday’s 4-3 win. “We’re starting to get that feeling back again.”

Tampa Bay is nine games behind first-place Baltimore in the American League East after Brandon Guyer recorded three hits and scored twice Tuesday. The Royals are 4½ games in back of Detroit in the AL Central after losing four of their seven contests in July. Lorenzo Cain is 6-for-9 in the series and has reached base in seven straight at-bats for Kansas City while Eric Hosmer boasts an eight-game hitting streak for the Royals.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Kansas City, Sun Sports (Tampa Bay)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Yordano Ventura (6-7, 3.07 ERA) vs. Rays RH Alex Cobb (4-6, 4.28)

Ventura pitched a career-high 8 1/3 innings in his last outing Friday when he allowed one run and six hits in a victory at Cleveland. The 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic has lasted at least seven frames in four of his last five starts and is 4-2 since the beginning of June. Ventura gave up two hits in six scoreless innings of a no-decision against Tampa Bay on April 8 in his season debut.

Cobb has won his last two starts despite giving up seven runs (six earned) combined over 10 innings after suffering through a 1-5 stretch. The Boston native yielded one or fewer runs five times in 12 appearances, but went only 2-1 in those strong starts due to poor offensive support. Raul Ibanez is 3-for-11 with two homers versus Cobb, who is 1-2 in four career starts against the Royals with a 5.04 ERA.

WALK-OFFS

1. Rays SS Yunel Escobar (sore shoulder) went 1-for-4 with a run scored to begin his rehabilitation stint Tuesday at Class-A Charlotte.

2. Kansas City SS Alcides Escobar was hitless in four at-bats Tuesday, but is 30-for-88 in his career against the Rays.

3. Tampa Bay INF-OF Ben Zobrist has produced at least two hits in five of his last seven games.

PREDICTION: Rays 4, Royals 2