St. Louis @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( May 22, 2015 ) St. Louis 0, Kansas City 5

The Kansas City Royals struck first in the I-70 series and took over the best record in the majors in the process. The Royals will try to clinch the three-game series and claim territorial bragging rights when they host the St. Louis Cardinals in the second of a three-game series on Friday.

Kansas City (27-14) took the opener 5-0 on Friday to jump a half-game ahead of the Cardinals (27-15) for the best winning percentage in the majors and have won four in a row overall. The Royals got all the offense they needed on Friday from designated hitter Kendrys Morales, who homered twice and drove in all five runs. The veteran slugger is starting to come on with 11 RBIs in his last six games, including seven in the last two. The Cardinals went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position on Friday and have been shut out in back-to-back games.

TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH John Lackey (2-2, 2.96 ERA) vs. Royals RH Edinson Volquez (3-3, 2.74)

Lackey breezed through seven innings at the New York Mets on Monday, striking out six without walking a batter and allowing one run on three hits. The veteran has surrendered two or fewer earned runs in each of his last four starts but had some control issues the last time he faced an AL Central opponent, issuing five walks in 5 1/3 innings at Cleveland on May 13. Lackey is 3-4 with a 3.54 ERA in 10 career starts against Kansas City.

Volquez put together his best start of the season against the New York Yankees on Sunday, scattering three hits over seven scoreless innings without walking a batter. The Dominican Republic native had issued nine walks over eight innings in his previous two starts combined. Volquez saw a lot of St. Louis when he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds and is 4-6 with a 4.69 ERA in 15 career starts against the Cardinals.

WALK-OFFS

1. Royals C Salvador Perez has hit safely in eight straight games.

2. The Kansas City pitching staff has surrendered a total of one run in the last four games.

3. St. Louis LF Matt Holliday went 0-for-4 on Friday but was hit by a pitch in his final plate appearance to keep alive his streak of reaching base in each of his 39 games this season.

PREDICTION: Royals 6, Cardinals 2