Royals at Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays took out some of the frustration they felt after a rough road trip on the Kansas City Royals on Friday, earning a 6-2 victory and snapping a three-game slide. The Blue Jays will try to keep the power coming when they host the Royals in the second of a four-game series on Saturday.
Toronto, which dropped three in a row at Yankees Stadium to close out its recent road trip, fell behind 2-0 on Friday before getting a pair of home runs from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and one blast each from Eric Sogard and Randal Grichuk. Gurriel is on a tear of late and is 14-for-28 with five home runs and seven runs scored in his last six games and is a staple of the Blue Jays' rebuild along with rookies Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio, who bracketed Gurriel in the lineup on Friday. The Royals are losers of five of their last seven games and failed to score more than three runs in each of the last four setbacks. Kansas City will try to muster some run support on Saturday for right-hander Homer Bailey while going up against Toronto righty Marcus Stroman.
TV: 4:07 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Toronto), FS Kansas City
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Homer Bailey (7-6, 4.61 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (5-9, 3.04)
Bailey is on a roll with wins in three straight starts, during which he allowed a total of one run and 12 hits in 19 innings against Detroit, Seattle and Minnesota. The 33-year-old needed 108 pitches to get through 5 1/3 innings against Minnesota on Sunday but struck out five and got plenty of support in a 6-1 win. Bailey spent the first 12 seasons of his career in the National League and is making his first appearance against the Blue Jays.
Stroman's days with Toronto could be numbered with his name circling in trade rumors ahead of the July 31 deadline and he showed off for opposing scouts with six scoreless innings in a win at Boston on Sunday. The 28-year-old scattered five hits and one walk while striking out six to earn his third straight quality start. Stroman is seeing Kansas City for the first time since Sep. 19, 2017, when he allowed one run and four hits over seven frames to pick up a win.
WALK-OFFS
1. Royals SS Adalberto Mondesi (groin) is expected to begin a rehab assignment on Saturday.
2. Toronto OF Teoscar Hernandez is 0-for-12 with eight strikeouts in the last three games.
3. Kansas City C Martin Maldonado recorded four doubles in the last three games.