Kansas City @ San Diego preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 26, 2014 ) Kansas City 5, San Diego 9

The Kansas City Royals appeared poised to make a run at first place in the American League Central but instead find themselves trying to halt a four-game slide as they open a three-game series at the San Diego Padres on Monday. Kansas City won its final three games in April before dropping a 7-3 decision to Toronto, leading to a three-game mauling at the hands of division-leading Detroit over the weekend. The Royals have been outscored 35-11 during their skid.

San Diego split the first eight games of a 10-game road trip but dropped the final two in San Francisco before losing back-to-back home games to Arizona, which entered the series with the worst record in baseball. The Padres halted the four-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the Diamondbacks on Sunday. It marked only the 10 time in 32 games that the Padres - the lowest-scoring team in the major leagues with 84 runs - put up more than three in a game.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, FSN (Kansas City, San Diego)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Yordan Ventura (2-1, 1.50 ERA) vs. Padres LH Eric Stults (1-3, 5.34)

Ventura has not allowed a run in 13 innings over his last two starts, shutting down Toronto on two hits over five frames in his last turn after tossing a season-high eight scoreless innings at Baltimore on April 25. Although he has been prone to bouts of wildness, Ventura avoids the long ball, giving up only one homer in 30 innings. He has allowed only one earned run in two road starts at hitter-friendly parks in Baltimore and Houston.

Stults attempts to bounce back from an ugly performance at San Francisco, where he was roughed up for five runs in a season-low 2 2/3 innings. Although San Diego has scored only two runs in his three losses, Stults has not helped himself by surrendering at least one homer (seven total) in each start. He has pitched better in his two home outings, including a season-high six frames of one-run ball against the Giants on April 19.

WALK-OFFS

1. Padres CF Cameron Maybin played in his seventh game Sunday and recorded multiple hits for the third time.

2. Royals DH Billy Butler is 12-for-35 over his last nine contests but is hitless in six career games versus San Diego.

3. Kansas City has lost 24 of its last 29 games played in the month of May.

PREDICTION: Royals 4, Padres 3