Cleveland @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 3, 2015 ) Cleveland 2, Kansas City 4

The Kansas City Royals attempt to record their third series win over the Cleveland Indians in three tries this season when the American League Central rivals meet at Kauffman Stadium in the rubber match of their three-game set Thursday. Kansas City erased an early 2-1 deficit on Wednesday as Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales hit consecutive RBI doubles in the third inning for a 4-2 triumph that evened the series at one win apiece.

Kansas City took two of three at Cleveland in the final days of April before repeating the feat at home a week later. The Royals had lost six of their previous seven games before Wednesday's victory, scoring two runs or fewer in each defeat. Michael Bourn went 3-for-3 and scored a run for the Indians, who fell to 4-2 on their seven-game road trip. It was just the second loss in nine road contests for Cleveland, which is 15-13 away from home but a disappointing 10-14 at Progressive Field.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland), FSN Kansas City

PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians Trevor Bauer (4-2, 2.97 ERA) vs. Royals RH Chris Young (4-1, 1.55)

Bauer produced his fourth consecutive strong performance Friday at Seattle but came away with a loss despite allowing only two runs over seven frames. The 24-year-old gave up just one run pitching into the eighth inning in each of his previous three outings and has recorded 10 strikeouts in two of his last four turns. Bauer, who did not factor in the decision against Kansas City on April 28, is 0-1 with a 4.22 ERA in four career starts versus the Royals.

Young is coming off his roughest outing since joining the rotation, a loss to the Yankees in New York on May 27 in which he was reached for four runs and seven hits in six innings. The 6-10 veteran allowed a grand total of one earned run over 22 2/3 frames in his first four starts this season. The 36-year-old Young has yet to lose to Cleveland in his career, going 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in five career games (three starts).

WALK-OFFS

1. Indians 2B Jason Kipnis went 1-for-4 on Wednesday, just hours after being named the AL Player of the Month for May, when he joined Ty Cobb (1921) and Al Simmons (1925) as the only players in major-league history to record more than 50 hits and 30 runs scored in the month.

2. Royals C Salvador Perez, who left the series opener after taking a foul tip off his mask and sat out Wednesday's game with a headache, is 1-for-10 with five strikeouts against Bauer.

3. Cleveland RF Brandon Moss had one hit in four at-bats Wednesday and is 8-for-15 over his last three games.

PREDICTION: Royals 3, Indians 2