Chicago @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 7, 2015 ) Chi. White Sox 2, Kansas City 3

The Kansas City Royals kicked off their 10-game homestand with a win on Friday, and dominance in their own stadium is a big reason the team sits atop the American League. The Royals will try to clinch their fifth straight series win at home when they host the Chicago White Sox in the middle contest of their three-game series on Saturday.

Kansas City dropped six of eight on the road before returning home and posting a 3-2 win over the White Sox on Friday. That triumph pushed the Royals to 35-18 at home and kept their lead in the AL Central at a comfortable 9 1/2 games. The White Sox are trending down with losses in six of their last eight but can be encouraged by the pitching staff, which kept the team in the opener after allowing an average of eight runs over the previous seven contests. Jeff Samardzija will try to make that a trend when he takes the mound for Chicago, while Jeremy Guthrie tries to dig himself out of a rut for Kansas City.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, FSN Kansas City

PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox RH Jeff Samardzija (8-6, 4.35 ERA) vs. Royals RH Jeremy Guthrie (7-7, 5.65)

Chicago held on to Samardzija through the July 31 trade deadline and he responded with one of his worst starts of the season, serving up nine runs on eight hits and a pair of walks in 4 2/3 innings to lose to the New York Yankees on Sunday. The Notre Dame product has not notched more than three strikeouts in a start since prior to the All-Star break. Samardzija has lost twice to Kansas City this season, most recently allowing four runs in seven innings on July 17.

Guthrie managed to hang on to his spot in the rotation after the acquisition of Johnny Cueto but was reached for eight runs (seven earned) and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings at Cleveland to suffer a loss in his last outing. The Stanford product has yielded a total of 30 hits in 17 1/3 frames over his last three starts, going 0-2 in that span. Guthrie surrendered three runs and nine hits in five innings at Chicago on July 18 but did not factor in the decision.

WALK-OFFS

1. White Sox CF Adam Eaton (shoulder) left Friday’s game and is day-to-day.

2. Kansas City RF Lorenzo Cain doubled and tripled on Friday after failing to record an extra-base hit in his previous four contests.

3. Chicago DH Adam LaRoche homered in the opener for the first time since June 24.

PREDICTION: White Sox 8, Royals 7