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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 FieldStats updated Jun 23, 3:00 AM ETFinal lineups locked
T-Score35
Kansas City Royals
67–86 · 5th AL Central · T-Score 35
2
2–1
FINAL
Tampa Bay Rays
93–59 · 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 .755 OPS vs RHP, 4th in MLB; Kansas ranks 14th vs RHP.
Recent formEvenRecent results are nearly identical, with both clubs playing around .500 over the last 10.
Team strengthRaysTampa leads 68–35 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
3.34
41st
WHIP
1.10
33rd
K/9
7.11
155th
BB/9
2.34
38th
P-Score63i
FIP
4.09
HR/9
1.29
127th
OPS/R
0.793
IP
188.2
2026 ERA splits
Home ERA2.93
Road ERA3.56
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
2.72
17th
WHIP
0.93
6th
K/9
8.87
74th
BB/9
1.58
3rd
P-Score75i
FIP
2.87
HR/9
0.76
26th
OPS/R
0.500
IP
165.1
2026 ERA splits
Home ERA3.05
Road ERA2.57
Last 5 starts
ERA
1.23
QUALITY
START %
40%
(2 of 5)
DAYS
REST
88
How the starters differ
·Rasmussen owns the lower FIP, 2.87 to 4.09.
·Rasmussen strikes out 1.8 more batters per nine innings.
·Rasmussen allows fewer baserunners, with a 0.93 WHIP compared with 1.10.
·Wacha has produced a quality start in 67% of outings versus 33%.
Advanced starter metricsERA−, FIP, WAR, career vs opponent
MetricWachaRasmussenNote
ERA−7667Park- and league-adjusted; 100 is average.
FIP4.092.87
WAR2.84.6Season value.

How the lineups match the starters' pitch mix

Pitch data coverage: partial. Usage and velocity only.

Wacha arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Four-seam27%93.1
Changeup25%80.7
Cutter15%89.5
Sinker14%93.2
Curveball10%76.0
Slider9%84.9
Rasmussen arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Cutter29%90.0
Four-seam28%95.9
Sinker23%95.3
Changeup13%89.7
Curveball4%80.1
Sweeper3%84.5

Team OPS vs opposing starter's hand

Royals vs RHP (Drew Rasmussen)
14th
in MLB
0.721OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000
Rays vs RHP (Michael Wacha)
4th
in MLB
0.755OPS
.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.245 13th.259 1st
OPS.713 21st.732 7th
Home runs161 22nd163 21st
Runs653 23rd702 10th
OBP.315 20th.328 5th
SLG.398 20th.404 10th
PitchingKCKC·TBTB
1stMLB rank30th
ERA4.66vs3.72
KCTB
WHIP1.39vs1.14
KCTB
K/97.4vs8.2
KCTB
HR Allowed194vs191
KCTB
ResultsKCKC·TBTB
+12527th
Run differential
+2739th
67–86 Record93–59
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 63; Drew Rasmussen is at 75. P-Score is PitcherStat's 0–100 season index for qualified starters.