Cleveland in action against Kansas City following Plesac's strong performance
Kansas City Royals (27-51, fifth in the AL Central) vs. Cleveland Indians (42-35, second in the AL Central)
Cleveland; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Royals: Brad Keller (3-9, 4.45 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 68 strikeouts) Indians: Adam Plutko (3-1, 4.55 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 22 strikeouts)
LINE: Indians favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 10 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Cleveland heads into the matchup fresh off a strong showing by Zach Plesac. Plesac pitched seven innings, giving up one run on five hits with two strikeouts against Detroit.
The Indians are 16-14 against AL Central teams. The Cleveland pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.91, Trevor Bauer paces the staff with a mark of 3.85.
The Royals are 13-20 against opponents from the AL Central. Kansas City hitters have posted a team on-base percentage of .306 this season, led by Hunter Dozier with a mark of .395. This is the first game between these teams in 2019.
TOP PERFORMERS: Carlos Santana leads the Indians with 17 home runs and is slugging .541. Jason Kipnis is 13-for-38 with a double, a triple, three home runs and 13 RBIs over the last 10 games for Cleveland.
Jorge Soler leads the Royals with 38 extra base hits and is batting .241. Whit Merrifield is 15-for-43 with two doubles, three home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Kansas City.
LAST 10 GAMES: Indians: 8-2, .301 batting average, 3.17 ERA, outscored opponents by 33 runs
Royals: 5-5, .246 batting average, 3.89 ERA, outscored opponents by nine runs
Indians Injuries: Danny Salazar: 60-day IL (shoulder), Jefry Rodriguez: 10-day IL (shoulder), Dan Otero: 10-day IL (shoulder), Corey Kluber: 60-day IL (arm), Mike Clevinger: 10-day IL (ankle), Carlos Carrasco: 10-day IL (undisclosed), Bradley Zimmer: 60-day IL (shoulder).
Royals Injuries: Trevor Oaks: 60-day IL (hip), Jesse Hahn: 60-day IL (elbow), Adalberto Mondesi: 10-day IL (groin), Salvador Perez: 60-day IL (elbow).
