(Sports Network) - The Tampa Bay Rays have received contributions from all throughout its roster en route to compiling baseball's best record this season. Matt Garza has certainly done his part as of late.

Garza will attempt to put together another dominating start and lead the red- hot Rays to an eighth consecutive victory when he takes the mound for this afternoon's finale of a four-game series with the visiting Kansas City Royals.

The 24-year-old Garza is 3-1 with a 1.55 earned run average over his last four starts and has yielded just one run in each of his three wins during that stretch. A key offseason pickup for the Rays, the former Minnesota Twin has amassed an impressive 7-4 record and 3.47 ERA so far in his first season with Tampa.

In his most recent mound trip, Garza held Boston to one unearned run and five hits over seven innings to help Tampa Bay to an important 3-1 win this past Tuesday. That followed a complete-game one-hitter during a 6-1 Rays' triumph over Florida on May 26, in which Garza did not surrender a hit until the seventh inning and racked up 10 strikeouts.

Garza is an outstanding 5-1 with a 2.16 ERA in eight home starts this year, but has lost all three of his career outings against Kansas City. The former first-round draft choice has produced a respectable 3.20 ERA in those games, however.

Tampa Bay continued its recent roll with Sunday's 9-2 drubbing of the Royals, with Carlos Pena going 3-for-5 with two RBI to pace the Rays' 13-hit attack.

Evan Longoria added a two-run homer and B.J. Upton finished 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Rays, who have outscored Kansas City by a 23-4 margin over the first three games of this series.

Tampa Bay also received a strong seven innings of out James Shields (7-5) in Sunday's win. The right-hander allowed just two runs and four hits while notching eight strikeouts.

The Rays, whose seven-game win streak is the club's longest since a 12-game run between June 6-22, 2004, now own a five-game advantage on second-place Boston in the American League East standings.

Esteban German drove in both runs for the Royals, losers of five of their last six contests. Starting pitcher Luke Hochevar (5-7) was tagged for seven runs and nine hits and lasted just four innings on the afternoon.

Kansas City will turn to Gil Meche in hopes of avoiding a series sweep. The right-hander had delivered three consecutive winning starts before Wednesday's 5-2 loss at Baltimore, where he allowed five runs (4 earned) and nine hits through six frames.

Prior to that loss, Meche had permitted just six earned runs over 26 innings during a four-start stretch in which he recorded three wins and a no-decision.

The 29-year-old has had his share of struggles against Tampa Bay over the course of his career, having posted just a 1-4 record and a 5.65 ERA in eight previous starts versus the Rays.

Kansas City won four of seven last year against the Rays. The clubs split four games in St. Petersburg in 2007.