Angels at Royals
The Kansas City Royals haven't finished higher than 21st in the majors in home runs since 2003, but Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez are doing their best to change that. The Royals attempt to win three in a row for the first time this season Saturday as they continue their three-game home series against the Los Angeles Angels.
Moustakas and Perez each went deep in the same game for the third time this season as Kansas City rolled to a series-opening 7-1 victory Friday, and the pair has accounted for nine of the club's 13 homers - a total that is tied for 10th in the majors. Along with solid starting pitching from Jason Vargas and Danny Duffy in the last two contests, Moustakas and Perez's powerful bats have helped overshadow the club's inability to come through with runners in scoring position (10-for-65 after going 0-for-3 in the opener). The Angels entered Friday leading the American League in hits (94), total bases (148) and batting average (.276), but their offense has totaled seven runs over their last three games - all losses - after scoring 41 over their first eight contests. Los Angeles' starting pitching isn't helping matters either, as the rotation fell to 1-5 with a 6.27 ERA after J.C. Ramirez struggled early in a spot start Friday.
TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, KCOP (Los Angeles), FSN Kansas City
PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels RH Matt Shoemaker (0-0, 7.71 ERA) vs. Royals RH Nathan Karns (0-0, 7.11)
Shoemaker endured his roughest outing in almost a year but escaped with a no-decision Sunday against Seattle after giving up seven runs - six earned - on five hits and a pair of walks over 4 1/3 innings. The Michigan native struggled mightily in April last year as well (1-4, 9.11 ERA) before posting a 3.10 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 22 turns after May 11 following a brief demotion. Shoemaker fell to 0-3 with an 11.34 ERA in four starts against the Royals last year after yielding five runs over six frames in a loss on July 27.
Karns bounced back from a poor relief outing in his Kansas City debut with a decent start Sunday in Houston, allowing one run on six hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision. The 29-year-old Texas Tech product, who was acquired from Seattle in January for Jarrod Dyson, yielded hits to five of the first seven Astros he faced before settling down. Karns did not factor in the decision in his only turn versus the Angels last season and is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in three career starts against them.
WALK-OFFS
1. Of Kansas City's 13 home runs thus far - the third-most by a Royals' team through 10 games - 11 have been solo shots.
2. The Angels are 6-0 when scoring at least five runs and 0-5 when failing to do so.
3. Kansas City's seven runs without a hit with runners in scoring position Friday was the club's most in a win without such a hit since 1994.