ST. PETERSBURG (WDAE) -- Mike Zunino, just back from paternity after the birth of his first child, hit a three-run go-ahead homer in the bottom of the seventh inning, powering the Tampa Bay Rays to snap their four-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over the Kansas City Royals.
Tampa Bay started the seventh down a run, but immediately got going thanks to a double by Avisail Garcia and an infield single for Kevin Kiermaier. Daniel Robertson tied the game at 3-3 with a fielder's choice grounder that erased Kiermaier at second base but allowed Garcia to score the tying run. Zunino then took a 1-2 offering from Brad Keller and sent it off the batters eye for his first home run as a member of the Rays.
Tampa Bay initially fell behind in the top of the first inning when Alex Gordon jumped on a Yonny Chirinos pitch up in the zone and sending it over the seats in right for his fifth home run of the season. But the Rays were able to tie the game in the bottom of the inning thanks to a triple by Tommy Pham and a sacrifice fly by Yandy Diaz.
The Royals got two more solo homers off Chirinos, one from Jorge Soler, his sixth of the year, and another from Hunter Dozier, his seventh, in the fifth and sixth innings respectively.
Brandon Lowe's RBI double in the sixth cut the deficit back to 3-2 and set the stage for the seventh-inning heroics for Tampa Bay.
Yandy Diaz added a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth, his sixth home run of the year.
Wilmer Font (1-0) earned the win by striking out Adalberto Mondesi to end the seventh. Adam Kolarek worked a scoreless eighth, and Emilio Pagan pitched a perfect ninth to earn his first save of the year.
TUESDAY'S MATCHUP
Tampa Bay Rays (15-8) vs. Kansas City Royals (7-16), 7:10 pm first pitch, with coverage on WDAE beginning at 6:00 with The Inside Pitch
Rays starter: RHP Ryne Stanek (0-0, 2.46 ERA)
Royals starter: RHP Homer Bailey (2-1, 4.30 ERA)