Patient Shields and Royals Overcome Cobb and Rays

Royals NewsAfter giving up a tw0-run homer to Matt Joyce in the first inning, James Shields settled in to beat the Rays 8-2. Alex Cobb was in complete control until the sixth inning when the Royals scored four runs including a two run home run by Mike Moustakas, his first of the season. The Royals went on to three more runs in the seventh and one more in the eighth.

Shields making his first start against his former team, avoided a big inning in the first, to finish with 102 pitches and seven innings of work. He allowed only allowed three more hits over the next six.

Shields spent the first seven seasons of his big league career in Tampa Bay, where he holds franchise records for wins, starts, innings pitched, complete games, shutouts and strikeouts.

Shields was traded to Kansas City in the blockbuster trade that sent a package of prospects including Wil Myers to Tampa Bay for Shields, Wade Davis and Elliot Johnson.