Royals look for sixth straight home win over Rays Monday
A weekend of comebacks has the Kansas City Royals back on top of the AL Central.
They'll try to make it six straight home wins over the Tampa Bay Rays in Monday night's opener of a three-game series.
Fans in Kansas City have seen some amazing moments from their ballclub over the last two-plus years, although the World Series champions may have outdone themselves this weekend. The Royals (27-22) trailed in the seventh inning or later in all three games of a home sweep of the Chicago White Sox.
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The weekend started Friday when Kansas City scored five runs over the seventh and eighth innings of a 7-5 victory. The next night, the Royals scored seven in the bottom of the ninth for a remarkable 8-7 win.
Kansas City then trailed 4-2 going into the eighth inning Sunday before Cheslor Cuthbert drove in the go-ahead run with an infield hit to cap a three-run rally for a 5-4 win. Lorenzo Cain started the rally with a one-out solo homer.
"It's got to be in the back of their minds: Here they come," manager Ned Yost said.
The Royals moved one-half game ahead of Cleveland and one game up on Chicago.
Cuthbert went 4 for 11 in the series and Brett Eibner was 5 for 11 in his first big league action.
The Royals are short-handed with left fielder Alex Gordon on the disabled list and catcher Salvador Perez expected to be out seven to 10 days with a bruised left thigh after colliding with third baseman Cuthbert on Saturday.
They have taken 20 of the last 26 meetings with the Rays, including 12 of the last 13 at home.
Tampa Bay (22-26) has lost seven of nine after Sunday's discouraging 2-1 loss to the New York Yankees. Jake Odorizzi took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before issuing a walk in front of Starlin Castro's homer for the Yankees' only hit of the game.
Evan Longoria's RBI single in the third inning was all the Rays mustered as they went 0 for 5 in their other at-bats with runners in scoring position.
"Their guy was good, but we've got to find a way to get some more runs there," manager Kevin Cash said. "We had our opportunities. It just didn't happen."
Cash will give Matt Andriese (3-0, 2.63 ERA) his fifth start after the Rays lost his last one Wednesday as he gave up three runs in six innings of a 4-3 home defeat to Miami. Andriese is limiting hitters to a .196 average.
The right-hander allowed one run over 7 2/3 innings against Kansas City last year in two appearances, with one start.
He'll be backed in the bullpen by Brad Boxberger, who will be activated and available for his season debut after abdominal muscle surgery. The closer was an All-Star last year with 41 saves to rank fourth in the majors.
"Everything feels 100 percent," Boxberger said. "I feel like I'm where I need (to be) in order to get big league guys out."
The Royals will start Ian Kennedy (4-3, 3.38) after he surrendered two runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings Monday before being pulled due to rain in a 10-4 rout at Minnesota.
The right-hander is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA in three home starts this season, but 0-4 with a 7.99 ERA in his last five overall against the Rays.
