The Kansas City Royals will go for a three-game sweep when they host the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night in the series finale at Kauffman Stadium.
Kansas City (49-95) has played much better as of late despite having the second-worst record in baseball behind only the Baltimore Orioles (41-103). The Royals won the series opener 4-3 in 10 innings, and they posted a more comfortable 6-3 victory Tuesday.
The Royals have won seven home games in a row, including a three-game sweep over Baltimore over Labor Day weekend. Kansas City is 27-45 at home on the season.
"Especially about the last three weeks, the feeling of us never being out of a game has returned," Royals manager Ned Yost said to MLB.com. "Finding ways to score, I'm a lot more confident in that."
Chicago (56-89) is headed in the opposite direction, at least in the short term. The White Sox have lost seven games in a row, and a loss in the series finale would match their longest losing streak of an already forgettable season.
Five of those losses have come since the White Sox learned that prized pitcher Michael Kopech would miss the rest of this season and all of next season because of Tommy John surgery. Kopech's arrival had electrified teammates and fans alike as he limited opponents to one run in his first 11 innings before his ill-fated most recent start.
White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon (6-5, 3.11 ERA) will try to snap the skid when he makes his 17th start of the season. He has stumbled in his past two outings, allowing eight earned runs in 11 innings, after a remarkable run from June to August.
Rodon criticized his most recent outing, which he described as "horse (expletive)," and vowed to bounce back.
"Just no command," Rodon told reporters after losing to the Los Angeles Angels. "Down in the bullpen, didn't feel good. Usually, you try to clear that. The first inning went well, and I tried to build off of that. Just didn't happen."
In five career outings against Kansas City, Rodon is 2-2 with a 3.90 ERA. He has walked nine and fanned 27 in 27 2/3 innings.
The Royals also will go with a left-hander as they attempt to lock up the sweep. Eric Skoglund (1-5, 6.45 ERA), a 25-year-old out of the University of Central Florida, will make his 10th start of the season and the 15th of his career.
An elbow injury sidelined Skoglund for much of the season, but he returned Friday against the Minnesota Twins. He threw two scoreless innings of relief on 27 pitches as he built arm strength for his return to the starting rotation.
In two career starts against the White Sox, Skoglund is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA. He has given up seven hits, walked three and struck out 11 in 10 innings. His only other career win came against the Detroit Tigers.
This marks the 19th and final meeting of the season between the two. The White Sox hold a 10-8 season series edge. They have scored 100 runs against the Royals while giving up 79.
