Rays’ 11-game win streak ends, fall to Keller, Royals 2-1

<p>ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. &mdash; The Tampa Bay Rays’ 11-game winning streak came to an end Tuesday night when Brad Keller pitched seven strong innings and Salvador Perez hit a tiebreaking RBI single to give the Kansas City Royals a 2-1 victory.</p>
<p>Rich Hill struck out a career-high 13 for the Rays. Tampa Bay’s winning string was the second-longest in club history, one shy of the record set in 2004 by the then-Devil Rays managed by Lou Piniella.</p>
<p>Keller (4-4) allowed one run, four hits, four walks and struck out seven. Jake Brentz went 1 1/3 innings before Kyle Zimmer got two outs to get his second save.</p>
<p>Perez put the Royals up 2-1 on a sixth-inning single off Hill (3-2). </p>
<p>Hill gave up two runs and six hits, and didn’t issue a walk over eight innings. Over his last six starts, the lefty has allowed five earned runs over 35 2/3 innings, but has a 2-2 record.</p>
<p>Hill became the oldest player to appear in a game with the Rays at 41 years, 75 days. Hall of Famer Wade Boggs was 41 years, 73 days old when he played his final game on Aug. 27, 1999.</p>
<p>Hill retired his first 10 batters before Carlos Santana tied it 1 in the fourth with a home run. It was his 250th homer, which moved him within one of tying Tony Clark for 13th place all-time among switch-hitters</p>
<p>Brett Phillips had a single leading off the Rays third that went off Keller’s glove, stole second, went to third on a grounder and scored on a hit by Yandy Díaz.</p>
<p>Kansas City shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, reinstated from the 10-day injured list after missing the first 45 games this season with a right oblique sprain, doubled twice in four at-bats. He was hurt in the Royals’ final spring training game on March 29.</p>
<p>FLASHING LEATHER</p>
<p>Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier made a nifty running catch on Andrew Benintendi’s drive to the left-center field warning track in the second. He made the grab behind left fielder Austin Meadows, who was also trying to track down the ball. Kiermaier also made a leaping catch at the wall on Benintendi fly in the eighth.</p>
<p>TARGET REACHED</p>
<p>The Rays reached the 85 percent vaccination level that allows MLB protocols to be relaxed.</p>
<p>The players and staff are no longer required to wear masks in the dugout.</p>
<p>“I’m excited about that,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “We’ve got to keep adhering to protocols and the guidelines that are in place.”</p>
<p>TRAINER’S ROOM</p>
<p>Royals: Manager Mike Matheny said OF Hunter Dozier (concussion), who is at Omaha, “seems to be getting his timing right.”</p>
<p>Rays: 1B Ji-Man Choi, who left Monday’s game against Toronto with right knee soreness, was the DH.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Royals LHP Mike Minor (3-2) and Tampa RHP Tyler Glasnow (4-2) are Wednesday night’s starters.</p>
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