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FinalFinal lineupsAL Central / AL East

Kansas City Royals 2, Tampa Bay Rays 1

Final Score and Game Recap

Final score, pitching lines and standings context.

6:40 PM ET · Tropicana FieldGame-day snapshot Jun 23, 3:00 AM ETFinal lineups lockedCurrent 2026 season stats — updated Oct 9, 5:00 AM ET
T-Score31
Kansas City Royals
69–93 · 5th AL Central · T-Score 31
2
2–1
FINAL
Tampa Bay Rays
98–64 · 1st AL East · T-Score 68
1
T-Score68
FINAL

Matchup at a glance

PitcherStat calculation
CategoryComparisonWhy
Starting pitcherRaysRasmussen owns the stronger overall starter profile, with the higher P-Score and better strikeout and baserunner rates.
Offense vs handRaysTampa owns a .752 OPS vs RHP, 4th in MLB; Kansas ranks 13th vs RHP.
Recent formEvenRecent results are nearly identical, with both clubs playing around .500 over the last 10.
Team strengthRaysTampa leads 68–31 in T-Score, driven by stronger offense.
WeatherLow impactWeather conditions are expected to have little effect on the normal scoring environment.

Starting pitchers

KC
Michael Wacha RHP
Michael Wacha
Kansas City Royals
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
3.48
39th
WHIP
1.16
36th
K/9
6.86
164th
BB/9
2.58
46th
P-Score61i
FIP
–
HR/9
0.89
142nd
OPS/R
–
IP
101.0
Last 5 starts
ERA
2.51
QUALITY
START %
80%
(4 of 5)
DAYS
REST
86
TB
Drew Rasmussen RHP
Drew Rasmussen
Tampa Bay Rays
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
2.62
12th
WHIP
0.88
5th
K/9
9.31
64th
BB/9
1.57
4th
P-Score75i
FIP
–
HR/9
0.94
23rd
OPS/R
–
IP
86.0
Last 5 starts
ERA
1.23
QUALITY
START %
40%
(2 of 5)
DAYS
REST
88
How the starters differ
·Rasmussen strikes out 2.5 more batters per nine innings.
·Rasmussen allows fewer baserunners, with a 0.88 WHIP compared with 1.16.
·Rasmussen enters with a 2.62 ERA compared with Wacha's 3.48.
·Wacha has produced a quality start in 67% of outings versus 33%.

How the lineups match the starters' pitch mix

Pitch data coverage: partial. Usage and velocity only.

Wacha arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Four-seam28%93.1
Changeup25%80.6
Cutter15%89.5
Sinker14%93.2
Curveball10%75.9
Slider9%85.0
Rasmussen arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Cutter29%90.0
Four-seam28%95.8
Sinker24%95.3
Changeup13%89.6
Curveball3%80.1
Sweeper3%84.5

Team OPS vs opposing starter's hand

Royals vs RHP (Drew Rasmussen)
13th
in MLB
0.727OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000
Rays vs RHP (Michael Wacha)
4th
in MLB
0.752OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000

Lineups

Final lineupsOrder from the stored snapshot; treat as unofficial until the card is filed.Full lineup page

Team comparison

OffenseKCKC·TBTB
AVG.248 8th.258 2nd
OPS.718 17th.728 8th
Home runs170 21st169 22nd
Runs690 22nd736 12th
OBP.316 18th.326 6th
SLG.402 14th.402 15th
PitchingKCKC·TBTB
1stMLB rank30th
ERA4.77vs3.70
KCTB
WHIP1.41vs1.14
KCTB
K/97.4vs8.3
KCTB
HR Allowed210vs201
KCTB
ResultsKCKC·TBTB
+19528th
Run differential
+3665th
69–93 Record98–64
5–5 Last 105–5
Last 10 games
Kansas City Royals (5–5)
L
L
W
W
W
L
L
W
L
W
Tampa Bay Rays (5–5)
L
L
W
W
L
L
L
W
W
W
2026 head-to-head
Season Series
3—3
6 Games Played

Frequently asked

Who is starting for the Royals?+
Michael Wacha (3.48 ERA, 5–5) is listed as the starter.
Who is starting for the Rays?+
Drew Rasmussen (2.62 ERA, 6–4) is listed as the starter.
What time does the game start?+
6:40 PM ET at Tropicana Field.
Where is the game being played?+
Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Are the lineups confirmed?+
Not as official league cards. The orders shown are the current projected or last-posted lineups.
How have the Royals and Rays performed head-to-head?+
Season series: Rays 3–3 this season.
How do the starters compare on P-Score?+
Michael Wacha is at 61; Drew Rasmussen is at 75. P-Score is PitcherStat's 0–100 season index for qualified starters.