Royals vs. Rays, Game 52 Game Thread

Tonight's baseball contest comes on the heels of a five-game winning streak. Since losing three games in a row May 8th-10th, the Royals have not lost more than one game at a time. They're doing a lot of winning, and they've taken the AL Central lead because of it. They've gotten some help from the White Sox's implosion and cold streaks from the Indians and Tigers, but they're taking care of business.

The Royals have not scored fewer than four runs since May 22nd. The offense is booming, which is good because the pitching has not been terribly great over the same time period.

Danny Duffy takes the hill tonight against Chris Archer. Archer was the staff ace last year but has scuffled a bit this year. He is walking more batters, but the biggest thing is the dingers. His 1.79 HR/9 ranks 93rd among 102 qualified starting pitchers.

Lineups:

Danny Duffy takes the mound to lead #Royals against Tampa Bay: https://t.co/w6reds6N6q pic.twitter.com/mGJcSpPk2X

— #VoteRoyals (@Royals) June 1, 2016

The #Rays have hit more HR (71) through 50 games than any team that didn’t have a player in double-digits. #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/JEBhpOxU2T

— #VoteRays (@RaysBaseball) June 1, 2016