Royal mess: Kansas City extends record scoreless run in loss to Tampa Bay Rays

The Kansas City Royals are closing in on a major league futility record. The Royals extended their scoreless streak to 43 innings, five shy of the record, getting shut out for a fourth straight game in a 12-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night. Kansas City hasn't scored since the second inning of a 3-2 loss to Colorado last Thursday, and it was blanked three times over the weekend by Cleveland. The 1968 Chicago Cubs and the 1906 Philadelphia Athletics hold the major league record at 48 innings. The 1992 Cubs were the last team to be blanked in four straight games, and it hasn't happened in the AL since the 1964 Washington Senators -- nine years before the adoption of the designated hitter. No team has been shut out in five straight games since at least 1913, according to information gathered from baseball-reference.com.