Royals at Red Sox
The Kansas City Royals are getting closer to first place in the American League Central while the Boston Red Sox are losing their grip on first in the East. The Royals will try to push their winning streak to 10 straight at the expense of the struggling Red Sox when they visit Boston on Saturday for the second of a three-game series.
Kansas City's pitching staff allowed three or fewer runs in six of the last nine games, but its offense is getting most of the credit and Mike Moustakas highlighted Friday's 4-2 win with his 30th home run - eight more than his previous career high. Moustakas and the offense have driven the Royals into wild-card position in the AL and two games behind the Cleveland Indians in the Central. The Red Sox spent the last month in first place in the AL East but finally fell off that perch on Friday and dropped one-half game behind the New York Yankees while falling for the fifth time in the last six games. Boston lefty Eduardo Rodriguez will try to slow the Kansas City offense on Saturday while the Royals counter with Trevor Cahill, who was acquired from the San Diego Padres earlier in the week.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Kansas City, NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Trevor Cahill (4-3, 3.69 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH Eduardo Rodriguez (4-3, 3.89)
Cahill is making the jump back to the American League, where he began his career and spent three seasons with the Oakland Athletics from 2009-11. The veteran sinkerballer pitched out of the bullpen for the Chicago Cubs in 2015 and 2016 but thrived in a return to the rotation for the San Diego Padres this season, allowing three or fewer earned runs in seven of his 11 starts. Cahill's worst outing came in his Padres finale on July 21, when he was lit up for six runs - five earned - on seven hits and four walks in 3 2/3 innings at San Francisco.
Rodriguez is making his third start since coming back from a knee injury and is looking for his first win since May 26. The Venezuelan could not get any run support at Seattle on Monday but did not help himself much by allowing four runs on six hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings while absorbing a loss. Rodriguez faced Kansas City once last season and took the loss while yielding five runs on four hits and four walks in 5 1/3 frames.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Red Sox recalled LHP Robby Scott on Friday after placing LHP David Price (elbow) on the 10-day disabled list.
2. Kansas City 1B Eric Hosmer is 7-for-10 with six runs scored and six RBIs in the last two games.
3. Boston INF/OF Eduardo Nunez made his team debut on Friday and went 2-for-3 out of the No. 2 spot in the order.