Kansas City @ Tampa Bay preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 21, 2012 ) Kansas City 1, Tampa Bay 0

The Tampa Bay Rays have been one of the hottest teams in baseball this month, surging to the top of the American League wild card race and closing within four games of the New York Yankees in the AL East. Flying under the radar has been the Kansas City Royals, who made it 10 wins in 14 games by squeezing out a 1-0 victory over the Rays on Tuesday night. Despite scoring just two runs in two games, the Royals can take the series by winning Wednesday afternoon's rubber game.

The Rays continued to receive superb pitching, limiting an opponent to one run or fewer for the fifth time in nine games. They scored 42 runs during a five-game winning streak that was snapped Tuesday, but they also endured a pair of 1-0 losses around the streak. The offense may get a boost after DH Luke Scott returned to the lineup for the first time in a month and doubled in four at-bats. Evan Longoria saw action at third base for the first time since tearing his hamstring in April.

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, Sun Sports (Tampa Bay)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Luis Mendoza (7-8, 4.26 ERA) vs. Rays RH James Shields (11-7, 4.03)

After pitching fewer than 20 innings in the past three years combined, Mendoza is quieting putting together a solid season. He is coming off a stellar effort last time out in winning his second straight start, limiting the Chicago White Sox to two runs on four hits in seven innings. Mendoza has not allowed more than four runs since April 15 and has pitched at least seven innings in three of his last four starts.

Shields has been an integral part of Tampa Bay's resurgence, going 3-0 and allowing seven runs in his last four starts. He won his last outing by holding the Los Angeles Angeles to three runs on seven hits in six innings. Shields has had great success against the Royals, logging a 6-2 record and 3.45 ERA in nine career starts. He last faced Kansas City in August 2011, tossing a complete-game shutout.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Royals have won four of five meetings with Tampa Bay this year.

2. RF Matt Joyce had one of the Rays' two hits Tuesday, but he's only 1-for-18 in his last five games.

3. Kansas City 1B Eric Hosmer, who drove in the winning run Tuesday, has hit in four straight and seven of eight games.