Royals try to keep win streak going against the Astros
Kansas City Royals (52-102, fifth in the AL Central) vs. Houston Astros (85-69, second in the AL West)
Houston; Saturday, 7:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Royals: Jordan Lyles (4-17, 6.26 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 113 strikeouts); Astros: J.P. France (11-5, 3.84 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 96 strikeouts)
: Astros -278, Royals +220; over/under is 9 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Kansas City Royals aim to keep a four-game win streak alive when they take on the Houston Astros.
Houston has a 39-40 record at home and an 85-69 record overall. The Astros have the ninth-best team ERA in MLB play at 4.01.
Kansas City has a 52-102 record overall and a 21-55 record on the road. The Royals are 37-16 in games when they scored five or more runs.
Saturday's game is the fifth meeting between these teams this season. The Royals hold a 3-1 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Tucker has 33 doubles, four triples and 28 home runs for the Astros. Jose Altuve is 13-for-40 with four doubles and a home run over the last 10 games.
Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with a .278 batting average, and has 28 doubles, nine triples, 29 home runs, 36 walks and 92 RBI. Edward Olivares is 12-for-34 with a home run and six RBI over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Astros: 3-7, .237 batting average, 4.70 ERA, outscored by eight runs
Royals: 8-2, .263 batting average, 4.96 ERA, outscored opponents by 10 runs
INJURIES: Astros: Michael Brantley: day-to-day (general soreness), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Garcia: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Royals: Brady Singer: 15-Day IL (lumbar strain), Brad Keller: 15-Day IL (thoracic outlet syndrome), Freddy Fermin: 60-Day IL (finger), Salvador Perez: 7-Day IL (concussion), Austin Cox: 60-Day IL (knee), 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)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
