Pena gets well and powers Rays, 11-2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Rays surged to first place without the offensive production they’re accustomed to getting from Carlos Pena. Now that he’s back in the middle of the lineup, the American League East leaders are counting on him to help them stay on top.

Pena homered for the first time in a month and drove in five runs Friday night, keying an 11-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

The Rays slugger spent most of June on the disabled list because of a broken left index finger. He returned from a 19-game layoff last weekend at Pittsburgh.

“I feel great. My finger is feeling a lot better every day,” Pena said after raising his batting average to .227 with 12 homers and 43 RBIs.

Pena batted .282 with 46 homers and 121 RBIs last season. His average has not been above .250 this season, and Friday was only his eighth multi-hit game this year.

“It’s a nice start. You always like to see that. It’s huge to get him back,” Rays Manager Joe Maddon said. “I’ve been saying this all along that there’s a lot of guys who haven’t had their typical season, and they will.”