Royals at Giants
The Giants and the Kansas City Royals were in much different places the last time they met in San Francisco. Both teams are trying to find the heights that took them to a meeting in the 2014 World Series but are struggling in the standings as the Royals get set to visit the Giants for the start of a two-game interleague series on Tuesday.
Kansas City, which lost to San Francisco in seven games in the 2014 World Series before going back and winning the Fall Classic over the New York Mets the following season, sits in fourth place in the American League Central and is last in the AL in runs scored (237). The Royals have begun to break out of their team-wide offensive funk in June by scoring at least seven runs in five wins during a 6-4 start to the month, including a four-game split with the major league-best Houston Astros. The Giants (239) sit just ahead of Kansas City and rank 28th in the majors in runs scored but busted out of their own slump and avoided a three-game sweep by drubbing the Minnesota Twins 13-8 on Sunday. Left-hander Jason Vargas is the most consistent starter on the Royals staff this season and will get the nod on Tuesday opposite San Francisco's Ty Blach.
TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, FSN Kansas City, NBCSN Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals LH Jason Vargas (8-3, 2.18 ERA) vs. Giants LH Ty Blach (4-3, 3.64)
Vargas earned the win in three straight starts despite not making it out of the sixth inning in two of those turns. The 34-year-old sandwiched those starts around a seven-hit shutout of Cleveland on June 2. Vargas, who missed the 2015 World Series due to an arm injury, struck out nine in seven scoreless frames against the Giants at home on April 19.
Blach had a string of four straight wins come to an end when he was knocked around for five runs on nine hits in six innings at Milwaukee on Wednesday. The 26-year-old had a string of five straight starts of at least seven innings and three or fewer runs allowed come to an end in that contest. Blach's lone previous interleague experience was a stint out of the bullpen at Kansas City on April 18, when he worked two-thirds of an inning scoreless.
WALK-OFFS
1. Royals 1B Eric Hosmer is 6-for-12 with two homers and five RBIs in his last three games.
2. Giants RHP Sam Dyson, who was picked up last week after being designated for assignment by Texas, allowed three runs - two earned - without recording an out on Sunday in his San Francisco debut.
3. Kansas City 3B Mike Moustakas, whose career high is 22 home runs, bashed two on Sunday to bring his 2017 total up to 17.