Drew Waters turns in stellar performance in Kansas City Royals’ victory over the Rays

Drew Waters was mired in a deep offensive slump.

Things weren’t going well as Waters fought to make consistent contact since becoming active. This month, Waters was hitting .159 with seven hits and 16 strikeouts. He logged four walks and had an unsightly .260 on-base percentage.

On Thursday, Waters turned in a slump-busting performance in the Royals’ 6-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays ... as part of a special homecoming of sorts for manager Matt Quatraro.

And it brought a smile to Waters’ face.

“I think the smile comes from beating the Tampa Bay Rays,” Waters said. “Everyone knows the type of team that they are and the quality they bring every night. Top to bottom, as a team, I thought we played really well. That’s what we are capable of (doing).”

After two uninspiring at-bats against Rays ace Shane McClanahan, Waters made quite the splash in the sixth inning. He drilled a solo home run into the right-field seats. The blast traveled 386 feet and had a 107.1 exit velocity.

The homer snapped a 3-for-33 stretch and was his first since June 2 against the Colorado Rockies.

“I’ve been hitting some balls hard and hadn’t been getting the results I’ve wanted from those hard-hit balls,” Waters said. “Throw in some chase as well and you end up being some place you don’t want to be.”

Waters delivered again in the eighth inning. He nailed a two-run single to drive home Salvador Perez and MJ Melendez. Defensively, he added an outfield assist.

The Royals were buoyed by Waters’ production. He finished 2-for-4 with the home run, three RBIs and a stolen base.

In the ninth inning, KC took a late lead after Maikel Garcia — who has been trending up for KC — walked, and stole two bases. MJ Melendez hit the go-ahead single as Garcia scored.

Scott Barlow earned his ninth save as the Royals grabbed their 11th road victory.

“The guys were leaving it all out there and, obviously, that is a really good team on the other side,” Quatraro said. “We needed that kind of performance. To come back twice, I think that speaks volumes on how this team continues to compete.”

Austin Cox makes MLB history against Rays

Kansas City Royals reliever Austin Cox will always remember his first trip to Tropicana Field.

Cox, who was recalled June 7 from Triple-A Omaha, made MLB history as he became the first pitcher in the Expansion Era (since 1961) to face 39 batters without allowing a hit to begin his career.

“It’s awesome,” Cox said. “At the end of the day, you want to go out there and give the team a chance to win. ... I am very honored by it.”

In the third inning, Cox got Tampa Bay Rays star Randy Arozarena to fly out. It was his 33rd career batter faced without a hit allowed.

Cox surpassed former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Mark Rogers (2010), who shared the record with former Chicago White Sox pitcher Joel McKeon (1986) at 32 batters faced, per Elias Sports Bureau.

The historic moment highlighted Cox’s solid night. He worked 3 2/3 innings as the bulk reliever behind Royals opener Jose Cuas. Cox allowed two hits, issued one walk and struck out four batters.

MJ Melendez has roller coaster day

MJ Melendez got off to a rocky start Thursday night. Melendez was tagged with two errors in consecutive innings against the Rays.

In the first inning, Melendez was charged with a throwing error. He fielded a single by Arozarena and threw wildly toward home plate. The ball rolled past Perez as Arozarena reached second base.

“The first error, I can’t really control that,” Melendez said. “I feel like I made a good throw but the turf is bouncy. The second hop ended up being an in-between hop.”

One inning later, Melendez dropped a routine fly ball. The baseball popped out of his glove and allowed Rays catcher Francisco Mejia to reach base.

“The second one got caught in the light right at the end,” Melendez said. “It is kind of unfortunate, but hopefully I will be able to make that play next time.”

Melendez atoned for his mistakes at the plate. He hit an RBI single to drive home Garcia in the third inning.

Both players linked up again late. Melendez hit a go-ahead infield single as the Royals grabbed a late lead.

What’s next: The Royals continue their four-game series against the Rays. Zack Greinke will start Tuesday’s matchup against Zach Eflin.