Houston Astros (34-19, first in the AL West) vs. Kansas City Royals (17-34, fifth in the AL Central)
Kansas City, Missouri; Sunday, 2:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Framber Valdez (5-2, 2.57 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 50 strikeouts); Royals: Jonathan Heasley (0-2, 4.66 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 10 strikeouts)
LINE: Astros -225, Royals +186; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros meet on Sunday with the winner claiming the three-game series.
Kansas City is 9-16 in home games and 17-34 overall. The Royals have an 11-7 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.
Houston has gone 20-13 on the road and 34-19 overall. The Astros are 19-1 in games when they scored at least five runs.
Sunday's game is the third time these teams meet this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Bobby Witt Jr. leads the Royals with seven home runs while slugging .439. Andrew Benintendi is 13-for-40 with four doubles and three RBI over the past 10 games.
Yordan Alvarez has five doubles, a triple and 15 home runs for the Astros. Jose Altuve is 8-for-37 with a home run and three RBI over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Royals: 3-7, .246 batting average, 6.11 ERA, outscored by 18 runs
Astros: 7-3, .239 batting average, 3.21 ERA, outscored opponents by three runs
INJURIES: Royals: Matt Peacock: 15-Day IL (undisclosed), Gabe Speier: 15-Day IL (undisclosed), Zack Greinke: 15-Day IL (flexor), Amir Garrett: 15-Day IL (undisclosed), Adalberto Mondesi: 60-Day IL (knee), Edward Olivares: 10-Day IL (quadricep), Cam Gallagher: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Jake Brentz: 10-Day IL (flexor), Tyler Zuber: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
Astros: Blake Taylor: 15-Day IL (elbow), Jake Odorizzi: 15-Day IL (leg), Taylor Jones: 60-Day IL (back), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (forearm), Jacob Meyers: 10-Day IL (shoulder)
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