Houston Astros (96-53, first in the AL West) vs. Kansas City Royals (55-93, fourth in the AL Central)
Kansas City, Kansas; Saturday, 7:15 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Astros: Zack Greinke (15-5, 3.00 ERA) Royals: Mike Montgomery (3-8, 4.77 ERA)
BOTTOM LINE: Houston heads into the matchup after a dominant performance by Gerrit Cole. Cole pitched eight innings, giving up zero runs on four hits with 11 strikeouts against Kansas City.
The Royals are 29-45 in home games. Kansas City has a team on-base percentage of .306, led by Hunter Dozier with a mark of .360.
The Astros are 40-33 in road games. Houston's team on-base percentage of .351 leads the American League. Alex Bregman leads the team with an OBP of .415. The Astros won the last meeting 4-1. Gerrit Cole earned his 17th victory and George Springer went 1-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs for Houston. Heath Fillmyer took his second loss for Kansas City.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jorge Soler leads the Royals with 72 extra base hits and is slugging .551. Whit Merrifield is 16-for-43 with four doubles and three RBIs over the last 10 games for Kansas City.
Bregman leads the Astros with 71 extra base hits and is batting .294. Jose Altuve has 13 hits and is batting .361 over the last 10 games for Houston.
LAST 10 GAMES: Royals: 6-4, .263 batting average, 4.60 ERA, outscored by three runs
Astros: 6-4, .291 batting average, 4.65 ERA, outscored opponents by 25 runs
Royals Injuries: Trevor Oaks: (hip), Kelvin Gutierrez: (toe), Salvador Perez: (elbow).
Astros Injuries: Aaron Sanchez: (pectoral), Ryan Pressly: (knee), Brad Peacock: (shoulder), Collin McHugh: (undisclosed), Lance McCullers Jr.: (elbow), Carlos Correa: (back).
