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<\/p><\/div> Royals outfielder Isaac Collins, No. 1, celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run during Thursday’s Armed Forces Night game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on Thursday, July 2, 2026. The Rays beat the Royals 5-2 in the series finale.<\/p>\n sophiabuonpane@kcstar.com<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n <\/p>\n Just three Royals hitters drove in runs during a mid-week series that saw the American League-leading Tampa Bay Rays sweep aside the scuffling club in Kansas City.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first two players, catcher Carter Jensen and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., are no surprise.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jensen, fresh off a club-rookie-record 20-game hitting streak, started Tuesday\u2019s 10-4 loss and Thursday\u2019s 4-0 defeat with leadoff home runs. It\u2019s the third and fourth time in his young career that he has opened games by rounding the bases.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In an effort to match, two of Witt\u2019s three hits Tuesday left the yard, giving the superstar shortstop his 12th and 13th home runs of the season \u2014 and his first multi-homer game of 2026.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But the unlikely third member of the run-producing Royal trio is left fielder Isaac Collins. He entered Thursday\u2019s series finale having reached base safely in 11 of his last 12 games, including a double to right field in the third inning of Tuesday\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That hit set the table for Witt\u2019s first home run.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just trying to execute my approach consistently,\u201d Collins said. \u201cUltimately it\u2019s just getting a good pitch to hit and putting my best swing on it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A switch-hitter, Collins brought out his best swing Thursday. He stepped into the right-handed batter\u2019s box and drove a cutter from Rays reliever Cam Booser 428 feet over the left-centerfield wall.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That cut the Rays\u2019 lead to three runs at 5-2, the eventual final score, in the bottom of the seventh.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a grind for him on the right side of the plate,\u201d Royals manager Matt Quatraro said, \u201cand getting behind in the count and coming back there to hit a home run was big.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The contributions of Collins, Jensen and Witt weren\u2019t enough, but the unlikely trio combined to bat .300 with five home runs in three games. They accounted for all six of the Royals\u2019 runs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In comparison, Rays third baseman Junior Caminero knocked in five runs by himself during the series at The K, and Tampa outscored the Royals 19-6.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just not getting the results that we want,\u201d Jensen said. \u201cWe want to win games just as much as everybody else in the league. So we\u2019ve just got to make an adjustment.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That adjustment will have to come quickly as the 35-53 Royals continue to spiral. Injuries to the likes of first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and third baseman Maikel Garcia have not helped.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But the rest of the lineup has fallen short, too. Witt Jr., Jensen and Collins excepted, Royals hitters combined to bat .119 during the series against Tampa Bay, driving in zero runs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhen things don\u2019t go your way, you have to simplify and just get back to the basics,\u201d Collins said. \u201cJust trying to have competitive at-bats, move the line and reach base any way we can.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals are off Friday and open a weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Kauffman Stadium on Saturday.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\n Sophia Buonpane
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