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Jame Shields discusses his upcoming start vs. Royals

Despite currently having a firm grasp of the top American League Wild Card spot, the Rays aren't worrying about the standings quite yet.

Instead, Tampa Bay is more occupied with what it can control -- which makes sense considering the club essentially controls its own destiny at this point. And after all, the Rays needed all 162 games of last year's regular season to clinch a playoff spot.

So it's easy to understand why they prefer to take the remainder of the season one game at a time.

"We're just trying to win games right now," Rays right-hander James Shields said. "More in September, we kinda do the scoreboard watching but right now we're just trying to win games, win series. We feel if we win games, win series, we're gonna have another September run here."

Shields will try to clinch a series win against Kansas City on Wednesday as he makes his 26th start of the season. He is 6-2 lifetime against the Royals with a 3.45 ERA, though this will be Shields' first outing against them this year.

"They're young and they can hit," Shields said. "They have a good lineup one through nine. They've got speed, they play small ball and they can hit homers. You gotta be careful with these guys. You gotta keep them off the basepaths and minimize damage as much as you can. They're a good ballclub over there."

The Royals likely find it even easier to not peek at the latest standings as they entered Tuesday sitting 11 1/2 games out of the second AL Wild Card spot. But Wednesday will also mark a first for their own starter, Luis Mendoza, who has never pitched at Tropicana Field, let alone faced the Rays.

Mendoza is 4-4 with a 3.94 ERA on the road this season, compared to a 3-4 mark with a 4.57 ERA at Kauffman Stadium.

"It's different because it's closed, kind of like Toronto, but it's very nice," Mendoza said of The Trop. "It's no big deal to pitch the first time here."

The right-hander is 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three career relief appearances in domes, but has never started a game indoors.

"It's an early game, but it's going to feel like a night game," Mendoza said. "But I like to pitch in closed stadiums because you feel like you're pitching in a batting cage or something. Every pitch sounds hard and it's a good feeling."

Royals: Moustakas' defense impressing Yost
• Manager Ned Yost believes Mike Moustakas deserves consideration for a Gold Glove Award this season because of his reliable defense at third base. Yost said Moustakas is the best defensive third baseman he's ever managed, including Yost's time as a coach with the Braves.

"Chipper [Jones] was there, Terry Pendleton was there, and they were very solid third baseman," Yost said. "But he's ever bit as good defensively as they were. Just whenever I see a ball hit that way, I don't even think twice about it. That's a good feeling."

• Bench coach Chino Cadahia continues to be absent from the team due to a family matter. Yost said he may rejoin the team in Boston this weekend, but no one has replaced him in his absence.

Rays: Scott returns
• Luke Scott went 1-for-4 with a double on Tuesday as Tampa Bay's cleanup hitter. It was his first game since a strained external oblique put him on the disabled list on July 21.

"It feels good, it's been a long time," Scott said. "I've been champing at the bit, I've run out of fingernails to chew on. I'm excited to get back and try and do my part to help the team win."

• Evan Longoria started at third base on Tuesday, marking the first time he played the field since partially tearing his hamstring on April 30. Longoria committed zero errors while playing third for seven innings until Ryan Roberts shifted over to third.

Worth noting
• The five earned runs allowed by Kansas City in Monday's series opener were as many as the Rays scored in the teams' entire three-game series in June.

• Kansas City's win on Tuesday snapped a six-game losing streak to the Rays at Tropicana Field.

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