Indians at Royals
The Cleveland Indians continue on the hunt for first place in the American League Central while solidifying their wild-card spot as they go for a 12th win in 14 games Saturday night when they visit the Kansas City Royals. Red-hot Jose Ramirez launched a three-run homer and Francisco Lindor extended his hitting streak to eight games as the Indians rolled to an 8-3 victory over the Royals on Friday in the second of a four-game set.
Ramirez is 11-for-25 with three homers, six runs and six RBIs in the last six games, while Lindor is 16-for-39 with seven runs batted in during his hitting streak for Cleveland, which is two games behind first-place Minnesota in the Central. Mike Clevinger will try to keep it going for the Indians when he takes the mound Saturday, while the Royals counter with fellow right-hander Glenn Sparkman, who has struggled in four of his last five starts. Kansas City is 8-1 against everyone else in the league since the All-Star break but has lost four of five against Cleveland over the last eight days after giving up six runs in the final four innings of Friday’s loss and dropping a 5-4 decision in 14 frames Thursday. Rookie Bubba Starling, the fifth overall pick in the 2011 draft, had a pair of hits Friday for the Royals and is 14-for-40 during a 10-game hitting streak after going 0-for-3 in his major league debut on July 12.
TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, STO (Cleveland), FS Kansas City
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Mike Clevinger (4-2, 3.61 ERA) vs. Royals RH Glenn Sparkman (3-6, 4.67)
Clevinger is unbeaten in his last four trips to the mound, including Monday when he held Toronto to three runs on five hits over a season high-tying seven innings. The 28-year-old Florida native has limited opponents to one run or less in five of his eight starts this year and boasts 65 strikeouts versus 15 walks across 42 1/3 innings. Jorge Soler is 7-for-11 with three doubles versus Clevinger, who beat the Royals with six scoreless frames on July 3.
Sparkman has struggled mightily in two outings against the Indians this season, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) on 16 hits (five homers) over 11 1/3 innings. The 27-year-old Texan tossed his first career shutout on July 16 against the Chicago White Sox before giving up five runs on nine hits in a loss to Cleveland five days later. Lindor is 5-for-10 with two doubles and a homer versus Sparkman, who is 3-2 with a 1.76 ERA in 10 appearances (five starts) at home this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Kansas City 2B-RF Whit Merrifield looks to extend his franchise-record streak of avoiding back-to-back games without a hit to 129 after going 0-for-4 on Friday.
2. Cleveland 1B-DH Carlos Santana, who has reached base in 40 of his last 43 games, was scratched from the lineup Friday due to left shoulder soreness.
3. Starling has reached base in each of his first 11 major-league games, one away from the franchise record set by Johnny Damon in 1995.