Royals at Indians
Jason Kipnis and Jose Ramirez are starting to warm up offensively in the middle of the lineup and the two mainstays look to stay hot when the surging Cleveland Indians host the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Ramirez is 7-for-13 in his last four games to raise his batting average to .217 after notching two hits Monday and Kipnis was 3-for-5 with a walk-off solo homer as the Indians took the opener of a three-game series 3-2 in 10 innings.
Kipnis (.248 average) is 13-for-25 with three longballs and 11 RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak for Cleveland, which has won four in a row and nine of 11 to move into the second wild-card spot in the American League and 7 ½ out in the AL Central. Shane Bieber will try to keep it going when he takes the mound for the Indians on Tuesday while last-place Kansas City counters with fellow right-hander Glenn Sparkman, who is coming off one of his best outings of his career. The Royals had won five of eight before coming to Cleveland, but managed just five hits in the series opener against their division rival despite getting the game to extra innings on a Nicky Lopez RBI double in the eighth. Kansas City’s Whit Merrifield extended his hitting streak to five games (7-for-21) on Monday and became the first player in the majors to reach 100 hits this season.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FS Kansas City, STO (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Glenn Sparkman (2-3, 3.62 ERA) vs. Indians RH Shane Bieber (6-3, 3.86)
Sparkman earned his second victory of the season last time out against Minnesota, allowing one run on five hits across seven innings of a 4-1 triumph. The 27-year-old Texan, who owns a 3.38 ERA opening a game this year, has posted quality starts in two of his last three outings. Sparkman gave up one run on five hits over five innings in a no-decision against the Indians last season and has struggled on the road in 2019 with a 7.82 ERA.
Bieber suffered his first loss in seven outings last Thursday at Texas, permitting two runs on five hits over six innings with eight strikeouts and zero walks. The 24-year-old California native was 4-0 with a 4.08 ERA in his previous six starts, highlighted by his first career shutout against Baltimore on May 19. Lucas Duda is 3-for-6 with two homers versus Bieber, who was 2-0 despite a 6.35 ERA against the Royals last year.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cleveland 1B Carlos Santana is one homer behind Al Rosen (192) for ninth on the franchise’s all-time list.
2. The Royals lead the majors with 78 stolen bases - 13 more than any other team - in 79 games.
3. The Indians recalled Jon Edwards on Monday and optioned fellow RHP Aaron Civale to Triple-A Columbus.