Rays’ win streak ends at 11 in loss to Royals

ST. PETERSBURG — Rich Hill took the mound Tuesday as the oldest player in Rays’ history, and he delivered a performance for the ages, striking out a career-high 13 with a season-best fastball in a dazzling display.

But that wasn’t enough — even with two spectacular highlight-worthy catches by Kevin Kiermaier to keep it close — as the Rays lost 2-1 to the Royals.

With it went their win streak, ending at 11 games, one shy of the franchise best by Lou Piniella’s 2004 Devil Rays.

Afterward, the Rays (30-20) looked at what they gained during the run, which carried them to the best record in the American League.

“We learned that’s the level of baseball that we can play each and every day,” Kiermaier said. “It was incredible. I think we were all waiting for, I’m not going to say an 11-game win streak, but we were waiting to kind of bust out of a shell and get guys swinging the bats and just feeding off our pitchers and what we can do defensively.”

Tuesday, they also may have gained a further appreciation for Hill.

At 41 years and 75 days, he became the oldest player to appear in a game for the Rays, two days older than Wade Boggs in his Aug. 27, 1999, finale. Hill is the oldest active pitcher and second-oldest player in the majors, behind only Albert Pujols (41, 129).

Hill struck out every Royals starter at least once over eight innings in surpassing his previous high of 11, getting 27 swing and misses, retiring the first 10, scattering six hits, walking none, allowing only two runs. But that proved to be too much as a Rays offense that rang up 95 runs over the 11-game streak managed only one against starter Brad Keller and two Royals relievers.

“I wish we could have squeaked a few runs across for Rich and just made this a much more special day, because that was incredible,” Kiermaier said. “Everyone knows he’s the oldest (pitcher) in the league. And I said no, I don’t like the wording of that — he just been on the planet longer than anyone in the big leagues. There’s nothing “old” about what he’s doing out there.”

Hill became the pitcher his age to strike out at least 13 in a game since Randy Johnson in 2008. The only others to do so are right-handers Nolan Ryan and Gaylord Perry.

Hill has been on a roll all month, but Kiermaier raved about the fastball Hill had Tuesday before the Tropicana Field-distanced crowd of 4,946, saying it was extraordinary. “His stuff this year has been great, but (Tuesday) that was the best I’ve ever seen from him,” Kiermaier said.

Rays manager Kevin Cash also raved about Hill’s season-best fastball, which topped out at 91 mph, but looks crisp in contrast to his assortment of curves and sliders that clock in the high 60s and 70s. Hill said the improvement was the result of a mechanical adjustment to his delivery, adding acceleration and explosion at the end.

As well as Hill pitched he lamented the mistakes that led to the two Royals runs — a homer by Carlos Santana in the fourth, and singles to Cam Gallagher, Whit Merrifield and Salvador Perez in a four-batter span in the sixth. “You want to win ballgames,” he said, “you’ve got to make better pitches.”

Getting a couple clutch hits would help, too, as the Rays got nine men on, but only two into scoring position and one in, when Brett Phillips did all the work getting to third and Yandy Diaz singled him in.

Kiermaier ran well into leftfield to make a catch in the second, acknowledging — after his Randy Arozarena incident last month that got Bad News Bears references flying — he figured it was Austin Meadows’ ball but grabbed it at the last minute. “I was just trying to let him make a play so I didn’t Kelly Leak anything else this season like I did with Randy,” Kiermaier said.

Then Kiermaier made an even better catch in in the eighth with a man on, racing back and jumping at the wall.

It just wasn’t enough, as they were left with the memories of the win streak.

“Impressive,” Cash said. “It’s not easy to do. … Appreciate their efforts. And let’s get back at it tomorrow.”

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