Gameday Preview (Thursday): Rays' Shane Baz Looks to Salvage Series Finale vs. Royals

Coming off a five-game winning streak, the Tampa Bay Rays didn't expect to stagger out of the gate in their series with the Kansas City Royals. But they have, scoring just one run in two games. They'll try to get a win Thursday with Shane Baz on the mound.

Tampa Bay's Shane Baz has been the Rays' best pitcher so far, posting a 3-0 record with a 2.45 ERA. He starts on Thursday against the Kansas City Royals. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

TAMPA, Fla. — Shane Baz has emerged as the ace of the Tampa Bay rotation through 30 games, posting a 3-0 record and a tidy 2.45 earned run average. And a big part of being an ace is stopping the bleeding.

That will come in handy on Thursday when the Rays take on the Kansas City Royals on getaway day. Baz will start the 1:10 p.m. ET game, coming off a stellar win last Friday in San Diego, where he pitched seven scoreless innings in a 1-0 win.

Baz has been exceptional in his three wins over Pittsburgh, Boston and San Diego. He's thrown 19 innings and allowed just one run — a stunning 0.47 ERA. What's even more impressive is that he's had 27 strikeouts and just one walk in those three wins.

The 25-year-old has come into his own this year, pushing 100 mph with his fastball and making hitters look sick against his curveball, which is one of the best in the game. Hitters are just .069 against the pitch, with a 34.1 percent whiff rate.

"It's been ridiculous, that pitch,'' fellow starter Ryan Pepiot said of Baz's curveball. "He's throwing it 2-0 counts, 0-2 counts, striking out guys with it. The other day, he was throwing it 88 mph and striking out guys with it three feet from the zone. I'm like, dude, how does one throw that? Can I get that?

"I think the hardest I've ever thrown a curveball is 82, 83 and who knows where it went. Just the overall command he has with all of his pitches, it's been pretty special. His curveball is the big equalizer.''

Here's everything you need to know about the game.

How to watch Royals-Rays

• Who: Kansas City Royals (16-15) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (14-16)
• When: Thursday, May 1 at 1:10 p.m. ET
• Where: Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla.
• TV: FanDuel Sports Sun
• Radio: WDAE 95.3 FM/620 AM, WQBN 106.7/1300 AM (Spanish)
• Betting information: The Rays are favored on the money line at Fanduel.com at minus-162, and the Royals' money line odds are plus-136. On the run line, you can bet the Rays minus-1.5 at plus-125 odds, and the Royals plus-1.5 at minus-150 odds. The over/under is 7.5 runs.
• Weather: At 1 p.m. ET in Tampa, the temperature forecast is 84 degrees and mostly cloudy with winds out of the southeast at 9 miles per hour. The chance of rain is 0 percent for the game.

Royals starting lineup

1. Jonathan India LF
2. Bobby Witt Jr. SS
3. Vinnie Pasquantino 1B
4. Salvador Perez DH
5. Maikel Garcia 3B
6. Michael Massey 2B
7. Mark Canha RF
8. Freddy Fermin C
9. Drew Waters CF

Rays starting lineup

1. Chandler Simpson CF
2. Yandy Diaz DH
3. Brandon Lowe 2B
4. Jonathan Aranda 1B
5. Junior Caminero 3B
6. Kameron Misner RF
7. Travis Jankowski LF
8. Jose Caballero SS
9. Ben Rortvedt C

Royals-Rays starting pitchers

• SETH LUGO, Royals: Seth Lugo has a 2-3 record so far this year, but it's not really his fault. In those three losses, Kansas City has been shut out once and scored just one run in the other two games. The veteran went 16-9 last year, leading the Royals to the playoffs for the first time in nine years. All-time, Lugo has faced seven current Tampa Bay hitters, and they are just 6-for-25, a .240 average. Brandon Lowe is the only one with multiple hits, a pair of singles.

• SHANE BAZ, Rays: Baz is the only pitcher in the majors with at least 20 innings pitched to not allow a double or triple all year. He's allowed three home runs, his only extra-base hits. That last start in San Diego was his only one on the road so far. This is start No. 5 on the Steinbrenner Field mound. This is his first start ever against Kansas City. In his last 12 starts since Aug., 20, 2024, Baz is 7-1 with a 2.24 ERA.

Related Rays stories

• ROYALS ROOKIE BAFFLED RAYS (Wed.): Kansas City pitcher Noah Cameron made his major-league debut Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, and all he did was take a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He gave up one hit, and the Royals won easily, 3-0. CLICK HERE

• RAYS DROP OPENER TO ROYALS (Tues.): Tampa Bay wasted a nice start from Taj Bradley on Tuesday night, falling to the Kansas City Royals 3-1 at Steinbrenner Field. They got a homer from Junior Caminero, but had runners in scoring position in three different innings and couldn't score, snapping their five-game winning streak. CLICK HERE

• TOM BREW COLUMN: A players-only meeting last Wednesday helped clear the air in the Tampa Bay Rays' clubhouse, and they've been on a tear since then, winning five straight games. They are playing well in all phases, and rookie Chandler Simpson has been a huge spark. CLICK HERE

• MEET THE OPPONENT: The Kansas City Royals are supposed to be a playoff team, but they've struggled on the road, going 3-10. They've only scored 22 runs in 13 games. Here are three things to know about the Royals, who are in Tampa for three games with the Rays this week. CLICK HERE

• RAYS SWEEP PADRES (Sun.): Taylor Walls hit his first home run of the season and Zack Littell got his first victory of the year when the Tampa Bay Rays beat the San Diego Padres 4-2 on Sunday, completing their first sweep at Petco Park since 2004. The Rays have won five in a row. CLICK HERE

• RAYS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT (Sat.): Ryan Pepiot was stellar for six innings and the Rays bullpen did the rest as the Tampa Bay Rays won their season-high fourth game in a row Saturday night, beating the San Diego Padres 4-1. Brandon Lowe gave them the lead with a home run and the defense was spectacular once again. CLICK HERE