TAMPA, Fla. (Interstat) — Griffin Jax pitched five innings of five-hit shutout ball as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 5-3 on Wednesday night at George Steinbrenner Field. Jax (3-5) struck out seven and issued no walks. Bryan Baker earned his 20th save despite allowing a solo home run to pinch-hitter Josh Rojas in the ninth. Noah Cameron (4-5) took the loss, surrendering five runs on eight hits over five innings.

The Rays took the lead with three runs in the third, aided by a throwing error on first baseman Jac Caglianone. Jonathan Aranda singled home the tying run, and Yandy Díaz and Jonny DeLuca drove in runs in the fourth for a 5-0 advantage. Kansas City scored two in the fifth on a fielding error by left fielder Chandler Simpson and added Rojas’ homer in the ninth. Attendance was 11,857, and the game lasted 2 hours, 32 minutes. The Rays improved to 44-33; the Royals fell to 34-47.