The Kansas City Royals (36-50) face the Cleveland Indians (42-42) in a crucial four-game AL Central series at Progressive Field. Both teams enter struggling - the Royals are 3-7 in their last 10 while Cleveland has lost 9 straight games.

Series Schedule (All times ET):

• Thursday, July 8: 7:10 PM
• Friday, July 9: 7:10 PM
• Saturday, July 10: 6:10 PM
• Sunday, July 11: 1:10 PM

Pitching Matchups:

• Thursday: Danny Duffy (4-3, 2.60 ERA) vs. Zach Plesac (4-3, 4.14 ERA)
• Friday: Brad Keller (6-9, 6.39 ERA) vs. TBD
• Saturday: Mike Minor (6-7, 5.36 ERA) vs. TBD
• Sunday: TBD vs. TBD

Team Comparison:

• Offense: Indians rank 16th (4.33 runs/game), Royals rank 23rd (4.13 runs/game)
• Defense: Indians rank 17th (4.54 runs allowed/game), Royals rank 26th (5.12 runs allowed/game)
• Odds: Indians +700 to win AL Central, Royals +15000

Key Players: Royals:

• Salvador Perez: .281/.307/.506, 20 HR, 51 RBI
• Whit Merrifield: .276/.329/.416, 8 HR, 45 RBI, 23 SB

Indians:

• Jose Ramirez: .262/.343/.525, 18 HR, 51 RBI
• Franmil Reyes: .412/.412/.824, 2 HR, 6 RBI (last 17 AB)

The Indians desperately need to end their losing streak to stay in the division race, while the Royals look to improve their 15-28 road record. Cleveland gets a boost with Plesac returning from injury for the series opener.

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