Royals at Indians
Jose Ramirez appears to have found his swing after a long slump to start the season, and the two-time All Star hopes to stay hot when the Cleveland Indians host the suddenly surging Kansas City Royals in the opener of a three-game set Friday. Ramirez was batting .198 as recently as June 12 but has put together a 10-game hitting streak after belting a homer and knocking in three runs during Cleveland’s 6-3 win over Detroit on Thursday.
Ramirez owns a .314 batting average since June 14 and is 15-for-41 with four homers, 10 runs scored and 12 RBIs during his streak to help the Indians win five straight games and 11 of their last 13 to put pressure on first-place Minnesota in the American League Central. Right-hander Shane Bieber, who is fast becoming the ace on the staff for the Indians, gets the ball in the series opener, while lefty Mike Montgomery will make his debut with Kansas City after being acquired from the Chicago Cubs earlier in the week. The Royals are still mired in fourth place in the AL Central, although have been a different team since the All-Star break with six wins in seven games and 49 runs scored after edging the Chicago White Sox 6-5 on Thursday for their fourth consecutive victory. Hunter Dozier is 10-for-23 during a six-game hitting streak for Kansas City and teammate Jorge Soler, who leads the team with 26 homers, is 4-for-9 with five RBIs over the past two contests.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FS Kansas City, STO (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals LH Mike Montgomery (1-2, 5.67 ERA) vs. Indians RH Shane Bieber (8-3, 3.49)
Montgomery makes his first start of the season and first with the Royals after coming over in a trade for catcher Martin Maldonado on Monday. Kansas City's first-round pick in 2008 will pitch for his third big-league team after giving up six homers while striking out 18 and walking 13 over 27 innings - all in relief - with the Cubs. Francisco Lindor is 2-for-5 versus Montgomery, who retired the final batter to earn the save for Chicago in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series against the Indians.
Bieber limited Minnesota to three runs on five hits and a walk with nine strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings for a no-decision Sunday in his first start since winning MVP honors at the All-Star Game. The 24-year-old Californian has recorded a loss just once in his last 11 starts, permitting two or fewer runs in eight of those outings - starting with a shutout of Baltimore on May 19. Lucas Duda is 3-for-7 with two homers against Bieber, who is 2-0 with a 5.40 ERA in three career starts versus Kansas City.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Royals were charged with two errors in Thursday’s win but still own the least in the AL with 41.
2. Cleveland OF Tyler Naquin saw his five-game multiple-hit streak end with an 0-for-2 performance Thursday, but he is still 15-for-35 with nine RBIs in his last 10 games.
3. Kansas City OF Bubba Starling has hit safely in five straight games after going 0-for-3 in his major-league debut July 12.