Tampa Bay pitcher James Shields allowed just three hits into the eighth inning to lead the Rays to a 5-3 win over the Royals on Wednesday to take two out of three from the series.
Shields improved to 12-7 and retired 12 in a row after Alcides Escobar’s two-out single in the third and allowed three runs and five hits in 7.2 innings. He struck out seven and walked one. It was Escobar who ended Shields’ day with a two-out RBI triple in the eighth that made it a 4-2 deficit.
Aaron Crow gave up a homer to Jose Labaton in the eighth and Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth for his 39th save in 41 chances. Luis Mendoza (7-9) gave up two runs, five hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings. He also hit a batter and balked.