Rays-Royals Preview

' breakthrough season hit a snag on the team's final road trip before the All-Star break. To hold on to first place in the AL East, the club will likely need a better performance in its first trip of the second half. The Rays look to snap a six-game road losing streak and protect their division lead on Thursday night when they open a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals In its first 10 seasons, the Tampa Bay franchise became synonymous with losing, finishing in last place nine times and never winning more than 70 games in a single year. The Rays (59-41) finally appear to be contenders in the notoriously challenging AL East, but their strong first half ended on a sour note as Tampa Bay went winless on a six-game road trip heading into the All-Star break. The Rays snapped that skid by opening the second half with a... [read full story]