The Kansas City Royals (5-17) take one of the lightest-hitting offenses in MLB on the road to face the Arizona Diamondbacks (12-11) at Chase Field on Monday for the first of a three-game Interleague series. The Royals are in the midst of a 10-game road trip.
They won only one out of three in their last series against the Angels, dropping the finale 4-3 on Sunday at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Vinnie Pasquantino was 2 for 4 with a solo home run, stretching his on-base streak to 17 games.
MJ Melendez added a solo home run. The Diamondbacks are in the midst of a seven-game homestand. They lost three of four against the Padres in their last series, dropping the finale 7-5 on Sunday at Chase Field. Corbin Carroll went 2 for 3 with a double and one run. The teams are meeting for the first time this season.
Last season, the Diamondbacks won three of the four games between the teams, although they split their most recent two-game series at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium in August.
ON THE MOUND
Brad Keller (2-2, 2.12 ERA) is set for the start for Kansas City. The RHP allowed three runs over four innings in his last start, a 12-2 road defeat against the Rangers on Tuesday.
He was charged with the loss, scattering three hits while striking out two and walking five.For Arizona, lefty Tommy Henry takes the mound, his season debut. He was 3-4 over nine starts last season with an ERA of 5.36. He struck out 36 and walked 21 over 47.0 innings.
AT THE PLATE
The Kansas City offense is averaging 3.3 runs per game for the season, third lowest in MLB, with a slash line of .210/.267/.329. Pasquantino leads the team in OPS at .826. The second baseman is slashing .254/.361/.465 with four home runs, seven RBIs, and 10 runs over 22 games.
Against lefties like Henry this season, the Royals have a .673 OPS. Matt Duffy is the team’s most potent producer against left-handers with a 1.134 OPS in 19 at-bats.Arizona is slashing .264/.307/.416 for the season and averaging 4.8 runs per game.
Ketel Marte leads the team with a .791 OPS. The right fielder has two home runs, six RBIs, and 15 runs scored with a slash line of .282/.317/.474. The D-backs have a .728 OPS against righties in 2023. With a .807 OPS over 54 at-bats, Josh Rojas has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Kansas City is 4-5 away from home in 2023, scoring 4.6 runs per game while allowing 4.8 runs. Arizona has gone 6-5 at home this season, averaging 5.8 runs per game while surrendering 4.6. In the last 10 meetings at Chase Field, Kansas City is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 7.0-4.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Royals are fifth in the AL Central, six games behind the division-leading Twins. The Diamondbacks lead the NL West by one games over the Dodgers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Arizona Diamondbacks (-140)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
