Ryan Yarbrough helped extend Tampa Bay’s shutout streak to 23 innings

ST. PETERSBURG http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-moore-jersey , Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays and their parade of relievers are closing in on some franchise history. and the Rays got their only run via video replay in a 1-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.The franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings is 27, set in 2013. Tampa Bay began this streak with 14 shutout innings against the Boston Red Sox, including a 2-0 win Sunday.“They shut out the best team in the league yesterday so that tells you how good they’re doing now,” said Willy Adames, who drove in the game’s only run.Yarbrough (12-5) pitched 5 1/3 innings in relief of opener Hunter Wood. The rookie left-hander gave up two hits and a walk while striking out six, earning his major league-leading 10th relief win.Yarbrough has primarily been a long man out of the bullpen while Tampa Bay has experimented with using relievers for one or two innings at the start of most games. He leads the majors with 96 relief innings and has a 3.84 ERA.“It’s something that you see another guy doing really well, and … we’re all competitive by nature or we wouldn’t be here,” Yarbrough said. “We just want to go out there and do the same, if not better. A little friendly competition in the clubhouse never hurts.”Ryne Stanek pitched a scoreless eighth inning Russell Wilson Jersey , and Jose Alvarado pitched the ninth for his fifth save.After singles by Ji-Man Choi and Kevin Kiermaier in the second inning, Adames hit a two-out chopper over third base. Adames beat Rosell Herrera’s throw across the diamond, but it took a 43-second review to reverse the original out call.“Usually the run you score in the second inning doesn’t define the game. It was pretty unusual,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “It just shows we had to play seven innings of perfect baseball.”The run came off right-hander Jorge Lopez, who pitched five innings in his second major league start. Lopez (0-3) gave up five hits and three walks.The Royals, who were shut out for the ninth time this season, are 0-4 against Tampa Bay with all four losses coming by one run. They never got a runner as far as third base Monday night.“The pitching was fantastic. We just couldn’t muster any offense,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.Kiermaier had three of Tampa Bay’s eight hits after coming into the game batting .127 in August.Royals reliever Jake Newberry struck out three in 1 2/3 innings in his major league debut.Wood pitched 1 2/3 innings, giving up two hits with two strikeouts.TRAINER’S ROOMRoyals: LHP Danny Duffy (left shoulder) “felt really good” after a bullpen session, according to manager Ned Yost Martin Perez Jersey , who will determine Tuesday whether Duffy will pitch Thursday night’s series finale.Rays: INF Daniel Robertson said recent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb went well and he has no pain. Robertson hasn’t given up on getting at-bats during the final days of the season. “There won’t be any rushing it,” he said. … LHP Vidal Nuno (strained right hamstring) will make his second rehab start Tuesday night with Class A Charlotte and should be back in September.MINORS MATTERSLHP Matthew Liberatore, taken by the Rays in the first round of the 2018 draft, allowed three hits and struck out eight over five innings to get his first pro win in the GCL Rays’ 6-0 victory over the Twins. He has a 0.98 ERA over 27 2/3 innings in eight starts.UP NEXTLHP Blake Snell (14-5) will pitch Tuesday night’s game against Royals RHP Glenn Sparkman (0-1). Snell, whose 2.10 ERA ranks second in the AL, has not given up a run in two straight starts of five innings each. The Minnesota Twins reportedly agreed to contract extensions with both outfielder Max Kepler and shortstop Jorge Polanco on Thursday.According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Kepler's extension is worth $35 million over five years with a sixth-year option for $10 million, including a $1 million buyout. Passan added that Polanco agreed to a five-year, $25.8 million deal with two club options.The 26-year-old Kepler is set to enter his fifth MLB season and has spent his entire career with the Twins. Last season, the Germany native hit just .224 http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-moore-jersey , but he popped a career-high 20 home runs, scored a career-high 80 runs and registered 58 RBI.Kepler's most productive season to date was 2017, when he slashed .243/.312/.425 with 19 homers, 69 RBI and 67 runs.Minnesota had previously avoided arbitration with Kepler for 2019 by signing him to a one-year, $3.1 million deal.Polanco, 25, has appeared in games across five MLB seasons, but he has only been a significant part of the Twins' roster over the past three.Last season, Polanco appeared in 77 games and hit .288 with six home runs and 42 RBI. It was a significant drop-off from his career year in 2017, when he slashed .256/.313/.410 with 13 homers Delino DeShields Jersey , 74 RBI, 60 runs scored and 13 stolen bases.Part of the issue for Polanco in 2018 was the fact that he was suspended 80 games for violating MLB's policy against performance-enhancing drugs.Both Kepler and Polanco are penciled in as starters and important parts of Minnesota's lineup in 2019 and beyond.After surprisingly making the playoffs in 2017, the Twins took a step back last season by going 78-84. With the additions of sluggers Nelson Cruz and Jonathan Schoop, as well as the continued development of their younger players, however, Minnesota has a chance to be far more competitive in 2019.