Royals at Rays
The Kansas City Royals look to get their struggling offense going when they visit the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday for the opener of their four-game series. The Royals are last in the majors with 82 runs through 30 games after a 1-0 setback against American League Central-rival Cleveland on Sunday in which they managed just one hit and scored fewer than three runs for the 15th time this season.
Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer saw his 10-game hitting streak end last time out, but he has reached base in 24 straight contests, while Salvador Perez is batting .296 with five homers and 22 RBIs in 29 career games versus the Rays. Tampa Bay, which has won 11 of 18 at home this season, will send Blake Snell to the mound against former Ray Nate Karns on Monday. Tampa Bay recorded just three hits in Sunday's 2-1 loss to Toronto, continuing their roller-coaster campaign. Corey Dickerson has been the most consistent offensive force for the Rays, maintaining a .304 average with six homers and 11 RBIs.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Kansas City, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Nathan Karns (1-2, 4.97 ERA) vs. Rays LH Blake Snell (0-2, 3.45)
Karns registered his first win of the season last time out against the Chicago White Sox, allowing one hit and one walk over six scoreless innings. The 29-year-old Texas Tech product, who went 8-6 in 29 appearances (28 starts) with the Rays between 2014-15, has limited teams to fewer than two runs in three of his five starts this year after opening the campaign in the bullpen. Karns settled for a no-decision against Tampa Bay while with Seattle last season after yielding two runs over five innings.
Snell still is looking for his first victory as he makes his seventh start of the season despite permitting two runs over five innings in each of his last two outings. The 24-year-old Seattle native has not made it past five frames since his first turn of the year, mainly due to a pitch count that often is driven up by control issues (21 walks in 31 1/3 innings). Snell, who will face the Royals for the first time in his career, has held opponents to a .227 batting average and registered 27 strikeouts - including nine in his last outing.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Royals won five of the seven meetings last season as OF Lorenzo Cain went 10-for-23 with a homer and seven RBIs.
2. Tampa Bay 2B Brad Miller, who finished with career highs of 30 home runs and 81 RBIs last season, is 0-for-17 over his last six games.
3. Kansas City OF Jorge Soler is 0-for-6 with a walk and three strikeouts in his first two contests since returning from an oblique injury.