ST. PETERSBURG (WDAE) -- Blake Snell made his first start in ten days, and it showed.
Snell allowed three runs while failing to get out of the fourth inning, and the Kansas City Royal continued piling on from there, salvaging the finale of the three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays 10-2 Wednesday at Tropicana Field.
After Snell put up a zero in the first, the left-hander allowed an unearned run in the second that let Kansas City tie the game, and Whit Merrifield gave the Royals the lead for good with a solo homer in the third. He would be lifted one out into the fourth after allowing a walk to Chris Owings, who stole second and went to third on a groundout by Ryan O'Hearn. The left-hander said he felt frustrated after his 65-pitch outing.
"it was just a game where I felt different," Snell said. "I felt good, but it was weird...just frustrating. [I] have to be better."
Manager Kevin Cash said Snell's performance was one of the few positives to come out of the game.
"Probably the only good thing to come out of this game was that Blake got to 65 pitches or whatever," Cash said. "He should be pretty close to full go next time. From a health standpoint he was 100 percent fine."
Ryan Yarbrough, who came in for Snell allowed the inherited runner to score on a Cam Gallagher bunt single, and after Terrance Gore followed with a bunt of his own for a hit, Billy Hamilton plated Gallagher with a double to make it 4-1.
Yarbrough gave up four more runs in the sixth, as Hamilton tripled in Gallagher, who singled with one out to begin the threat, and after intentionally walking Whit Merrifield, Adalberto Mondesi hit a three-run homer to salt away the game.
Joey Wendle, whose RBI double in the first put Tampa Bay on the board first, was hit by a Jake Diekmann pitch leading off the bottom of the sixth, and x-rays revealed he had suffered a fractured right wrist.
O'hearn's sacrifice fly in the seventh made it a 9-1 game, and after Yandy Diaz got Tampa Bay one more run in the bottom of the seventh with a single, Mondesi's base hit in the eighth set the score.
After allowing seven runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings Wednesday, Yarbrough was optioned to Triple-A Durham after the game.
Tampa Bay will have Thursday off before beginning a nine-game road trip Friday in Boston.
FRIDAY'S MATCHUP
Tampa Bay Rays (16-9) at Boston Red Sox (9-15), 7:10 pm first pitch, with coverage on WDAE beginning at 6:00 with The Inside Pitch.
Rays starter: RHP Charlie Morton (2-0, 3.38 ERA)
Red Sox starter: TBA