Royals at Indians
The Cleveland Indians are taking advantage of the bottom two teams in the American League Central this week and look to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they host the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. The Indians took four straight from last-place Detroit to open the week and recorded 16 hits en route to a 10-5 victory Friday to open a three-game set with the Royals.
Rookie Oscar Mercado continued his hot streak with five hits for Cleveland on Friday, improving to 10-for-19 with three homers and eight RBIs over his last five games, while teammate Jose Ramirez knocked in a pair of runs to extend his hitting streak to 11 contests (16-for-46). Adam Plutko will try to keep it going for the Indians when he takes the mound for Saturday’s game while Kansas City, which came the Cleveland with four straight wins, will turn to fellow right-hander Jakob Junis. The Royals are 6-2 since the All-Star break with 54 total runs scored but lost for the fifth straight time against the Indians after winning four of the first five in the season series. Kansas City All-Star Whit Merrifield saw his 15-game hitting streak end in Thursday’s win against the Chicago White Sox, but he rebounded with two hits and three RBIs on Friday, while teammate Hunter Dozier has hit safely in seven straight contests (11-for-27).
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FS Kansas City, STO (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Jakob Junis (5-8, 5.08 ERA) vs. Indians RH Adam Plutko (3-1, 5.40)
Junis has produced two of his better starts of the year in the last two trips to the mound, allowing three runs over 14 total innings with 16 strikeouts. The 26-year-old Illinois native has struggled against the Indians this year, giving up 16 runs (15 earned) across 17 innings to post a pair of losses in three starts. Francisco Lindor is 11-for-22 with three homers and nine RBIs versus Junis, who has served up 21 longballs in 20 starts this season with an opponents’ batting average of .270.
Plutko recorded his fourth straight no-decision Monday when he permitted five runs on seven hits (three homers) over 5 1/3 innings of an eventual 8-6 win against Detroit. The 27-year-old UCLA product was 3-1 with three quality starts in his first four major-league outings this season but owns a 6.38 ERA in his last four appearances. Merrifield has a homer against Plutko, who yielded one run on one hit June 24 versus the Royals before his outing was shortened to four innings by a rain delay.
WALK-OFFS
1. Kansas City’s rookie OF Bubba Starling has hit safely in six straight games, going 7-for-21 during the run.
2. Cleveland OF Tyler Naquin homered Friday and is 17-for-38 with three blasts and 11 RBIs in his past 11 contests.
3. The Royals lead the majors with 91 stolen bases and own the least errors in the AL with 41.