Kansas City @ Cleveland preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 20, 2016 ) Cleveland 11, Kansas City 4

It may be too late for the Kansas City Royals to make a late run toward a postseason spot in the American League, but they can at least make it difficult for the Cleveland Indians to take away their AL Central crown. The Royals will try to keep the Indians from clinching the division for at least a few more days when they visit Cleveland for the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday.

The defending World Series champions have won three straight games but would have to leap over five other teams in the AL before finding the second wild card spot and are down to 12 games left in the regular season. Kansas City will put its stamp on the playoff race with nine of those remaining 12 games against the Indians and the wild card-hopeful Detroit Tigers, and an offense that put up 18 runs in the last two games is ready to do damage. The vaunted Cleveland rotation took a major hit last week when Danny Salazar went down with a forearm strain and Carlos Carrasco was lost to a broken finger, but the team still owns a seven-game lead in the Central and has a magic number of seven to clinch. The Indians will push up Josh Tomlin and lean on rookie Mike Clevinger in the rotation with Carrasco and Salazar out.

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

PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH Edinson Volquez (10-11, 5.40 ERA) vs. Indians RH Josh Tomlin (12-8, 4.75)

Volquez is winless in his last four starts and is coming off the worst of the bunch after getting lit up for nine runs - eight earned - on seven hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings against Oakland on Thursday. The Dominican Republic native allowed at least four earned runs in eight of his last 10 outings, including four straight. Volquez fared well the last two times he saw Cleveland, yielding a total of two runs and six hits in 14 innings.

Tomlin was bounced from the rotation in late August after five losses in six turns but returned at Chicago on Wednesday and held the White Sox to one run over five innings to earn the win. The veteran Texan ran into trouble with 10 home runs allowed during his rough stretch but managed to keep the ball in the park on Wednesday. Tomlin is 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA in three starts against Kansas City this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. Indians OF Lonnie Chisenhall (abdominal) has been limited to pinch hitting over the last three games and remains day-to-day.

2. Kansas City 2B Whit Merrifield is 7-for-14 with three RBIs in his last three contests.

3. Cleveland SS Francisco Lindor is 3-for-32 over his last nine games.

PREDICTION: Royals 6, Indians 5