TAMPA -- Bobby Witt Jr. extended his career-best 22-game hit streak in a big way Thursday afternoon when he drove an elevated fastball out to right field for a go-ahead, two-run home run, and the rest of the Royals offense kept pouring it on in their 8-2 win over the Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
The Royals are red-hot right now, beginning May two games over .500 (17-15) and having won nine of their last 10 games. This week marked their first three-game road sweep of the Rays since the Devil Rays’ inaugural season at Tropicana Field in 1998.
“A lot of the pressure’s kind of wearing off, and we’re just playing some good ball right now,” starter Seth Lugo said.
Backed by Lugo’s third consecutive quality start, in which he allowed two runs in six innings, the Royals found their groove off a Rays starter who was riding a lot of momentum into Thursday’s game. Righty Shane Baz had allowed eight runs in five starts this season before Thursday; the Royals tagged him for seven.
Kansas City’s three-run sixth inning included Witt’s 300th career RBI when he got hit by Rays reliever Eric Orze with the bases loaded.
It’s been a big series for Witt, who also reached 500 career games and 1,000 total bases on Wednesday. He entered Thursday having gone 3-for-7 against the Rays and then added a walk, homer and the hit-by-pitch by the sixth inning in the series finale.
“Any time you can go over the fence is good,” Witt said. “Got a fastball and was able to get it up and over. … [Baz] has a good fastball, so we had to be ready for the fastball. And then go from there.”
Witt’s 22-game hit streak is the longest active streak in the Majors and tied for seventh-longest in Royals history. Whit Merrifield’s 31-game hit streak from Sept. 10, 2018 to April 10, 2019 is the club record.
Witt might be making a run for that record because it seems like he’s heating up as the Royals heat up. The 24-year-old shortstop is batting .363 over his hit streak. Thursday’s home run was his third of the year, and while it was only a home run in two ballparks -- Yankee Stadium and Steinbrenner Field -- perhaps it signals a little more power is coming for Witt.
“That was a big hit for us, that’s obvious, but to score two there and open the lead up a little bit, instead of having to steal or bunt and get a sac fly -- two runs on one swing is big for us,” manager Matt Quatraro said.
It’s been that kind of offense lately, with the Royals having to scratch and grind their way to score runs. They entered Thursday with a Majors-worst 3.13 runs per game. The pitching has allowed them to stay in games and stay afloat in the standings while the hitters figure things out.
“I think it shows how good we can be when we get this offense rolling, and in my mind, there’s no doubt that this thing’s going to get rolling,” Vinnie Pasquantino said.
Thursday offered a much different formula, and one the club hopes to build on moving forward.
And it didn’t just come from Witt. Leadoff hitter Jonathan India has reached base 11 times in his past five games, including three times Thursday. Pasquantino showed better swing decisions the past two days, and results followed with a homer on Wednesday and two more hits with two RBIs Thursday.
“Some things that I look at are trending in the right direction,” Pasquantino said. “Some of the hard-hit, some of the decision making, swinging at better pitches. … Just trying not to let pitchers get too comfortable.”
Salvador Perez roped another double on Thursday before exiting with left hip soreness. He’ll get testing done when the Royals get to Baltimore to determine the severity and his availability for this weekend, although he was already pushing Quatraro to be in the lineup Friday night.
That combination in the fifth inning, with Witt’s homer and back-to-back doubles from Pasquantino and Perez, is what the Royals have been missing to begin the year. If they can start to click, it’s what will propel them through the season.
And all nine starters got on base Thursday. Maikel Garcia added three hits and three steals from the fifth spot in the lineup; Freddy Fermin had two hits and two runs. Michael Massey tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.
“This is who we are,” Witt said. “It’s just the team we are. And we're just playing our type of baseball. That’s what’s great to see, and everyone’s participating.”