Yankees at Royals
The Kansas City Royals did a fine job dispatching the first two American League East opponents they faced this season, but their first shot against the team atop that division did not go nearly as well. The Royals attempt to bounce back from a humbling loss Wednesday when they continue their three-game set with the visiting New York Yankees.
Kansas City went 6-1 last week against the East, taking three of four at Tampa Bay before returning home to sweep Baltimore with a trio of one-run victories. However, the Royals' major-league worst offense, which averaged 5.3 runs during the surge, could not score against a struggling CC Sabathia and fell 7-1 to the Yankees in Tuesday's series opener, pushing across its lone run on a fielder's choice grounder in the ninth inning. The win was an important one for New York, which had dropped four of its last five, including three of four at home over the weekend to Houston in a battle between the two teams with the best records in the AL. Gary Sanchez started the offensive fireworks for the Yankees on Tuesday with a three-run blast and is batting .353 in nine games since returning from the DL on May 5.
TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, YES (New York), FSN Kansas City
PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Michael Pineda (3-2, 3.27 ERA) vs. Royals LH Jason Vargas (5-1, 1.01)
Pineda watched his five-start unbeaten streak come to an end Thursday against Houston, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out seven over 6 2/3 innings. The 28-year-old Dominican has been much better at home (3-1, 2.03 ERA) this season than away (0-1, 5.52), although his last road outing was his best of the three, yielding two runs in six frames in a no-decision versus the Chicago Cubs. Salvador Perez is 8-for-20 with a homer against Pineda, who is 3-5 with a 3.88 ERA in eight turns against the Royals.
Vargas worked his fourth scoreless outing of the season and allowed no more than one run for the sixth time in seven tries in Thursday's win at Tampa Bay, permitting three hits and a walk across seven innings. The Long Beach State product's ERA is the lowest by a major leaguer through May 15 since Zack Greinke in 2009 (0.60), and his home ERA (0.34) in the lowest in the majors this season. Vargas has struggled mightily in his career against the Yankees, however, going 0-5 with a 6.53 ERA in nine games (eight starts).
WALK-OFFS
1. Royals OF Alex Gordon went 2-for-3 Tuesday to snap out of a 1-for-31 skid, while Yankees 1B Chris Carter went 3-for-4 with a homer to halt a 2-for-20 slump.
2. New York rookie OF Aaron Judge, who leads the AL in homers (14) and run scored, has not crossed the plate in eight of his last nine outings.
3. Kansas City has scored one run or less in a major-league high 13 games.