Royals, streaking Merrifield set for matchup with White Sox
Chicago White Sox (42-47, third in the AL Central) vs. Kansas City Royals (32-62, fourth in the AL Central)
Kansas City, Kansas; Monday, 8:15 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: White Sox: Lucas Giolito (11-3, 3.15 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 120 strikeouts) Royals: Jakob Junis (4-8, 5.33 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 98 strikeouts)
BOTTOM LINE: Kansas City's Merrifield puts 12-game hit streak on the line against White Sox.
The Royals are 16-26 against the rest of their division. Kansas City has hit 91 home runs as a team this season. Jorge Soler leads the club with 25, averaging one every 13.9 at-bats.
The White Sox are 22-16 against AL Central Division opponents. Chicago has hit 104 home runs as a team this season. Jose Abreu leads the club with 21, averaging one every 17 at-bats.
TOP PERFORMERS: Soler leads the Royals with 64 RBIs and is batting .244. Cam Gallagher is 5-for-13 with a double, a home run and two RBIs over the last 10 games for Kansas City.
Abreu leads the White Sox with 97 hits and has 66 RBIs. Yoan Moncada is 14-for-39 with two doubles, three home runs and seven RBIs over the last 10 games for Chicago.
LAST 10 GAMES: Royals: 3-7, .254 batting average, 6.07 ERA, outscored by 23 runs
White Sox: 4-6, .262 batting average, 5.50 ERA, outscored by 24 runs
Royals Injuries: Trevor Oaks: 60-day IL (hip), Jesse Hahn: 60-day IL (elbow), Danny Duffy: day-to-day (hand), Salvador Perez: 60-day IL (elbow).
White Sox Injuries: Carlos Rodon: 60-day IL (elbow), Michael Kopech: 60-day IL (elbow), Nate Jones: 60-day IL (elbow), Ryan Burr: 60-day IL (elbow), Manny Banuelos: 10-day IL (shoulder), Tim Anderson: 10-day IL (ankle), Welington Castillo: 10-day IL (oblique).
