KANSAS CITY -- The Rays packed their bags and awaited a late-night flight to Texas, feeling pretty good about themselves.

There were some anxious moments, but Tampa Bay held off the Royals 10-8 on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium to earn their fifth consecutive series win, the longest for the Rays since winning six consecutive series from Aug. 11-30 in 2023. Now, if they can sprinkle in a sweep here or there moving forward, the Rays can envision being in prime playoff contention as they look forward to the second half of the season.

Winning two of three in Kansas City was no small feat, considering the Royals started the night 31-17 at home. But the Rays' offense struck early and then added some crucial tack-on runs late. Catcher Ben Rortvedt came up clutch in the series finale, both in the field and at the plate.

In the fifth inning, Rortvedt had a two-out, two-run single that extended Tampa Bay¡¯s lead to 8-3 after it looked like the Rays would be held to just one run in the inning despite being given three consecutive walks to open the frame. And then, after Kansas City closed within 9-7 in the sixth, Rortvedt threw out speedy Bobby Witt Jr. attempting to steal second to end the inning and hold a furious Royals¡¯ rally to three runs.

Starter Zach Eflin allowed six runs (five earned) over five innings. It was a grind, but the Rays held on.

Rortvedt¡¯s throw from behind the plate to catch Witt stealing was a big talking point in a happy Rays clubhouse. It was an inning that appeared to be unraveling, and manager Kevin Cash sensed the urgency of the moment. He brought on reliever Jason Adam even though it was only the sixth inning. A 9-4 lead for Tampa Bay was whittled to 9-7 and the Royals had runners at first and third with two outs when Witt took off for second.

¡°Bobby is going to take his shots during the game,¡± Rortvedt said. ¡°I got a fastball in a good spot to make a throw.¡±

Cash credited Adam for holding the runner long enough to give Rortvedt a chance at throwing Witt out.

¡°Ben got rid of that ball quick and put it right on the line,¡± Cash said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t happen often to that player [Witt]. He¡¯s pretty special over there.¡±

In a game where the Rays flooded the bases with 16 hits and eight walks, Rortvedt's fifth-inning two-out, two-run single allowed Tampa Bay to create serious separation. Despite three walks to start the inning, the Rays would have been held to just one run in the fifth if Rortvedt had not delivered in a lefty-on-lefty matchup against Will Smith.

¡°I don¡¯t see lefties very often, so it¡¯s cool to come through there,¡± Rortvedt said.

The significant offensive contributors included Brandon Lowe, who had three hits -- including a double and homer and Jonny DeLuca (3-for-5) with a homer and two RBIs. The Rays were to score in six of nine innings.

For Eflin, it was a night for the right-hander to tip his cap to the offense.

¡°It felt like a bloodbath,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t really get into a groove. At the end of the day, you have to go out there and post a line you can win with. The offense was tremendous, giving me a big cushion.¡±

Once Rortvedt stymied the Kansas City momentum by throwing out Witt to end the sixth, the Rays¡¯ bullpen took charge.

The Rays are headed to Texas one game over .500 and want to continue their persistent push leading into the All-Star break.

¡°I think we¡¯re on a roll here,¡± Rortvedt said. ¡°Hopefully, the worst is behind us. We just want to go into Texas now and keep it going.¡±