ST. PETERSBURG Gregor Blanco Jersey , Fla. (AP) — by just putting the ball in play.A throwing error on Kevin Kiermaier’s bases-loaded grounder in the bottom of the ninth inning helped the Rays complete their first season sweep of an American League opponent with a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night.“A win is a win,” Kiermaier said. “We’ll take it any way possible.”Tampa Bay swept the four-game series and finished 7-0 against the lowly Royals this year. The only other season sweep in team history that included multiple series was a four-game wipeout of the Marlins in 2013.Jake Bauers drew a leadoff walk from Brian Flynn (4-4) in the ninth and went to third on C.J. Cron’s single.After Joey Wendle grounded out and Willy Adames was intentionally walked to load the bases, Kiermaier grounded a 3-2 pitch to first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, who made a wild toss to the plate.“We always say, ‘Put the pressure on the defense,'” Kiermaier explained. “Anytime you put the ball in play, you at least give yourself a chance.”Sergio Romo (3-3) worked a perfect ninth and the Rays improved to a season-high six games over .500 (67-61) with their fifth consecutive victory. It is Tampa Bay’s sixth winning streak of at least five games this year.Kansas City, which has lost five in a row and 17 of 21, fell a franchise-record 52 games under .500 at 38-90 and was eliminated from the playoff race.“We wanted to salvage one at the end of the series,” Flynn said. “You don’t want to be the guy that comes in here and gives that one up.”The Rays tied it at 3 when Matt Duffy scored from second on bad throw to first by second baseman Whit Merrifield on a potential double-play grounder hit by Cron.Tampa Bay appeared to go up 4-3 later in the seventh on Kiermaier’s grounder, but the run was taken away after a replay review determined Adames made an illegal slide at second base. The call was changed to an inning-ending double play.“There were a lot of odd things that took place in that game Blake Parker Jersey ,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.Alex Gordon had an RBI single in a two-run fifth against Tampa Bay starter Tyler Glasnow that put the Royals ahead 3-2.Adames hit a run-scoring infield single against Danny Duffy during a two-run third.Duffy, making his first start in 12 days due to a left shoulder injury, allowed two runs and six hits over five innings.“The last start I felt really bad,” Duffy said. “This start I felt really good.”Lucas Duda drove in a run with a first-inning single and had a potential two-run extra-base hit taken away with two outs in the third on a leaping catch by Rays right fielder Carlos Gomez.Glasnow allowed three runs, five hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out eight.TRAINER’S ROOMRoyals: INF Adalberto Mondesi (hamstring) was out of the lineup. … RHP Ian Kennedy (left oblique) will throw a simulated game Friday. … OF Jorge Bonifacio (lower back stiffness) missed his third straight game.Rays: OF Tommy Pham (dislocated right ring finger) felt soreness hitting off a tee but could play this weekend.ROAD TRIPFormer Royals George Brett, Mike Sweeney, Bret Saberhagan and Reggie Sanders will visit U.S. troops at four locations in the Middle East next month as part of a USO trip. The group will watch a Sept. 11 telecast with members of the Missouri National Guard’s 35th Combat Aviation Brigade.NUMBERS GAMEMerrifield had three hits, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. … Rays LF Mallex Smith went 3 for 5 and has multiple hits in seven of his last eight games. … The Royals have been swept 15 times this season. . Tampa Bay has played 52 one-run games, most in the majors. The Rays are 24-28 in those games.UP NEXTRoyals: RHP Brad Keller (6-5) will face Cleveland RHP Mike Clevinger (9-7) on Friday night.Rays: Will go with a bullpen day, including LHP Jalen Beeks (2-1), against Boston RHP Hector Velazquez (7-1) on Friday night. LOS ANGELES — While the long ball is getting all the attention for the Los Angeles Dodgers of late CJ Wilson Jersey , they have also used an old reliable to get them in position to grab their sixth consecutive National League West title.Before the current series against the San Diego Padres began, Dodgers starters had a 3.06 ERA since the All-Star break, the best mark in the major leagues. That number had come in 57 starts and 332 innings.Then came a stumble Friday from right-hander Ross Stripling and the Dodgers fell 5-3 to the last-place Padres. Los Angeles’ lead in the National League West fell to 1 1/2 games with just over a week remaining in the season. Stripling lasted just 3 1/3 innings.Article continues below ...Carrying those Dodgers pitching expectations into Saturday’s game against the Padres is left-hander Rich Hill (9-5, 4.02 ERA), who has done his part during the team’s second-half pitching success. Hill is 7-1 since the All-Star break, posting a 3.55 ERA. In his 11 second-half starts, the Dodgers have gone 8-3.The Dodgers have not always had all aspects of their game firing at once until the last two weeks. The starting pitchers, though, had long since set an example for the rest of the team.The intensity has ramped up further as a Dodgers team that has played three National League Championship Series and one World Series over the last five years has that October look once again.“These are playoff games,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think you can see the intent on every single pitch. We smell the finish line of the regular season. There’s a lot of sacrifice going on. The preparation hasn’t wavered. The bottom line is we have very good players.”That sounds good, but the Dodgers are actually 1-3 in their last four games against last-place teams. They lost two of three to the Cincinnati Reds on their most recent road trip.The Padres would like to see rookie right-hander Jacob Nix (2-3 http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-julio-urias-jersey , 5.75) rise to the occasion amid all that Dodger Stadium energy Saturday, and against an opposing veteran starter who has been a key member in the Dodgers’ last three playoff runs.Complicating matters for Nix is a sore hip that might need surgery in the offseason, although the right-hander is doing everything he can to avoid going down that route. He will not only be focused on the Dodgers on Saturday, but will have to be in lock step with his mechanics as well.“I don’t want to be compensating for something down the chain,” Nix said, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.Nix has just seven career starts, all since Aug. 10. His best outing came Aug. 28 against the Seattle Mariners, when he gave up just one run over 8 1/3 innings, but he has given up 14 earned runs in the three starts since then (6.19 ERA).Nix has never faced the Dodgers. Hill has two starts against the Padres this year, going 1-1 with a 2.77 ERA over 13 innings. He is 5-4 lifetime against San Diego with a 3.09 ERA over 10 starts.