Royals pitchers combined to walk eight Rays batters in the first game of the second half in a 7-3 loss to Tampa Bay in the series opener. Brad Keller walked five, hit a batter, and tossed two wild pitches in just four innings of work, throwing just 44 of his 85 pitches for strikes.
The free passes came right out of the gate with Keller walking Yandy Diaz to begin the game. Keller would also walk Randy Arozarena in the first, but worked around two runners to keep the Rays off the board. But in the third, Keller walked #9 hitter Brett Phillips to open the inning, and he would come around to score after a single and an RBI groundout by Arozarena to make it 1-0 Tampa Bay.