Royals at Blue Jays
Rookie Cavan Biggio is beginning to heat up again and looks to continue the surge when his Toronto Blue Jays go for three wins in a row against the visiting Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon. The son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio launched his first career grand slam in Saturday’s 7-5 victory and is 9-for-27 with seven runs scored and seven RBIs in as many games after his batting average dipped to .203.
Danny Jansen belted a two-run walk-off homer to end the contest Saturday and is 7-for-17 during a five-game hitting streak for the Blue Jays while teammate Eric Sogard had two more hits and is 4-for-7 in the series to improve his average to .310. Aaron Sanchez looks to turn his fortunes around when he takes the ball for Toronto in the third of a four-game series Sunday and Kansas City counters with fellow right-hander Brad Keller, who is winless in six starts as the Royals managed just eight runs of support combined. Kansas City, which sits in the American League Central cellar and is just 12-30 on the road, has dropped three in a row and six of its last eight contests after coughing up a three-run lead Saturday. Catcher Martin Maldonado homered for the second straight day in the latest loss and is 7-for-14 over his last four contests for the Royals.
TV: 1:07 p.m. ET, FS Kansas City, OMNI, TVA, Sportsnet (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Brad Keller (3-9, 4.32 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Aaron Sanchez (3-10, 5.89)
Keller pitched three scoreless innings with four strikeouts at Cleveland in his last start before the outing came to a halt because of a long rain delay. The 23-year-old Georgia native, who has allowed just six homers in 100 innings this year, had posted four quality starts in his previous six trips to the mound. Keller is just 1-6 with a 4.62 ERA in 11 starts on the road in 2019 and is 1-0 with a 2.35 ERA in three career appearances (one start) versus Toronto.
Sanchez has lost six straight starts after allowing seven runs on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings and owns an 11.25 ERA in five outings this month. The 26-year-old Californian, who is winless since April 27 while going 0-9 in that stretch, has 13 strikeouts and 15 walks across 24 innings during June. Sanchez has been a little better at home this season (2-4, 4.89 ERA in seven starts) and is 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA in five career games (two starts) against Kansas City.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Royals snapped a season-high, four-game stolen base drought Saturday as SS Humberto Arteaga swiped the team’s major league-leading 79th Saturday.
2. Toronto LF-2B Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is 15-for-31 with five homers and eight RBIs over the last seven contests.
3. Kansas City OF Jorge Soler is just 1-for-27 with 13 strikeouts over his last seven games.