On Sunday, the New York Yankees (28-13, 1st AL East) conclude their series on the road with the Kansas City Royals (14-30, 4th AL Central).
On Friday, the Royals beat the Yankees in the series opener 5-2. Whit Merrifield finished with three hits, stole three bases and scored a pair of runs. Royals starting pitcher Jakob Junis kept the Yankees bats in check. Salvador Perez helped Junis’ cause with a home run and three RBIs. Before their win, the Royals had lost five consecutive games and seven of their last eight, while the Yankees had won 19 of 22. Weather caused problems for the Yankees as they had to sleep on a plane or at a terminal waiting for flights during the week.
Aaron Judge leads the Yankees with a .299 batting average, 46 hits, 11 home runs and 35 RBIs. New York has a team batting average of .251, while opposing hitters are averaging .224 at the plate against Yankees pitching. New York will send Sonny Gray to the mound on Sunday. The right-hander this season is 2-3 with an ERA of 6.39, 32 Ks and 24 BBs.
Jorge Soler leads the Royals with a .305 batting average. Mike Moustakas has a team high 10 home runs and 30 RBIs. Whit Merrifield leads the team in hits with 51. Kansas City has a team batting average of .258, while opposing hitters are averaging .279 at the plate against Royals pitching. Kansas City will send Eric Skoglund to the mound on Sunday. The southpaw this season is 1-3 with an ERA of 5.58, 32 Ks and 10 BBs.
