Royals aim to sweep series against the Astros

Houston Astros (83-66, first in the AL West) vs. Kansas City Royals (48-101, fifth in the AL Central)

Kansas City, Missouri; Sunday, 2:10 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Framber Valdez (11-10, 3.32 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 178 strikeouts); Royals: Jordan Lyles (4-16, 6.27 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 107 strikeouts)

: Astros -250, Royals +203; over/under is 9 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Kansas City Royals meet the Houston Astros looking to sweep their three-game series.

Kansas City has a 48-101 record overall and a 28-46 record in home games. The Royals have gone 33-16 in games when they scored at least five runs.

Houston has a 45-29 record on the road and an 83-66 record overall. The Astros have the third-ranked team slugging percentage in the AL at .435.

Sunday's game is the third meeting between these teams this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Bobby Witt Jr. has a .280 batting average to lead the Royals, and has 27 doubles, eight triples and 29 home runs. Edward Olivares is 12-for-33 with four home runs and 10 RBI over the last 10 games.

Kyle Tucker leads Houston with 27 home runs while slugging .504. Jose Altuve is 10-for-41 with five home runs and nine RBI over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Royals: 5-5, .240 batting average, 5.55 ERA, outscored by two runs

Astros: 5-5, .282 batting average, 4.40 ERA, outscored opponents by 17 runs

INJURIES: Royals: Salvador Perez: day-to-day (head), Austin Cox: 60-Day IL (knee), Freddy Fermin: 10-Day IL (finger), Daniel Lynch: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jake Brentz: 60-Day IL (elbow), John McMillon: 15-Day IL (forearm), Josh Staumont: 60-Day IL (neck), Josh Taylor: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Vinnie Pasquantino: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Kris Bubic: 60-Day IL (flexor)

Astros: Ryne Stanek: 15-Day IL (ankle), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Garcia: 60-Day IL (elbow)

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.