Kansas City @ Cleveland preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 27, 2015 ) Kansas City 9, Cleveland 4

The Kansas City Royals are running away with the American League Central and are taking advantage of the stumbling Cleveland Indians. The Royals will go for their fourth straight win and try to hand the host Indians a sixth consecutive defeat when they meet in the second of a three-game series on Tuesday.

Kansas City eased to a 9-4 win in Monday’s opener and became the first AL team to reach 60 wins while pushing eight games ahead of second-place Minnesota in the Central. The Royals, who made the first big splash in the trade market by acquiring Johnny Cueto from the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, are 15-5 in their last 20 games. Cleveland is trending in the opposite direction and has dropped five in a row – all at home – by a combined 35-9. The Indians will try to improve a 19-31 home record when they send Trevor Bauer to the mound opposite veteran Chris Young on Tuesday.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Kansas City, STO (Cleveland)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Chris Young (8-6, 3.32 ERA) vs. Indians RH Trevor Bauer (8-7, 4.29)

Young could be pitching for his spot in the rotation with Cueto aboard after he failed to go more than six innings in any of his last seven outings. The Princeton product was knocked around for four runs on five hits – two homers – in three innings to suffer a loss at St. Louis on Thursday. Young last faced Cleveland on June 4 and was reached for six runs and eight hits in five frames to absorb the loss.

Bauer is having a rough stretch since the All-Star break and was ripped for a total of 11 runs and 13 hits over 10 innings in back-to-back losses to Cincinnati and the Chicago White Sox. The UCLA product yielded a total of five home runs in those two outings and at least one in each of his last six turns. Bauer went up against Young on June 4 and came out on the winning side after allowing two runs on four hits and four walks in 6 2/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cueto is expected to make his debut for the Royals at Toronto on Friday.

2. Indians rookie SS Francisco Lindor has hit safely in 10 of the last 11 games.

3. Kansas City 1B Eric Hosmer recorded multiple hits in six of the last 10 contests.

PREDICTION: Royals 7, Indians 3