Royals at Giants
The Kansas City Royals attempt to extend their winning streak to four games when they visit the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday afternoon for the finale of their two-game interleague series. Kansas City improved to 3-1 on its nine-game California trip with an 8-1 triumph on Tuesday as every starter in the batting order recorded a hit, with six of the nine notching a pair.
Whit Merrifield and Jorge Bonifacio drove in three runs apiece while Alex Gordon continued his resurgence, registering two hits to improve to 5-for-11 with five runs scored over his last three games. San Francisco is wrapping up a five-game homestand during which it has lost three of the first four contests. The Giants managed only five hits in Tuesday's setback, with Buster Posey and rookie Austin Slater each collecting two. The 23-year-old Slater has hit safely in six of his first eight major-league games and is riding a modest three-game hitting streak during which he is 7-for-11 while Posey is 6-for-11 over his last three contests.
TV: 3:45 p.m. ET, FSN Kansas City, NBCSN Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Jason Hammel (2-6, 5.43 ERA) vs. Giants RH Johnny Cueto (5-5, 4.33)
Hammel settled for a no-decision against Houston on Thursday despite allowing only one run and four hits over seven innings. The 34-year-old native of South Carolina has gone two straight starts without walking a batter after issuing 23 free passes over his first 10 outings. Hammel has yet to defeat San Francisco in his career, going 0-3 with a 3.02 ERA in 12 appearances (11 starts) - including a no-decision on April 18 in which he gave up one run over six frames.
Cueto did not factor in the decision at Milwaukee on Thursday after yielding three runs - two earned - on six hits and a season-high four walks in five innings. The 31-year-old Dominican worked at least six frames in each of his previous eight outings but went just 2-4 in that span. Cueto, who spent part of the 2015 season with the Royals and helped them to the World Series title, is 1-2 with a 3.79 ERA in three career starts against his former team.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Royals have scored 28 runs during their three-game winning streak and seven or more in each of their last six victories.
2. San Francisco has yielded eight runs in two consecutive contests.
3. Kansas City's Salvador Perez has hit 52 home runs since 2015 - tops among all major-league catchers.