The Kansas City Royals only have been swept once in a series this season — against the New York Yankees, who are looking to do it again.
The visiting Yankees will try to complete a perfect season series against the struggling Royals on Thursday night.
New York outscored Kansas City 12-6 while winning all three contests in the Bronx from April 14-16, then won 10-2 on Tuesday in the opener of the current series.
On Wednesday, the Yankees tagged Kris Bubic, who entered with a major-league-best 1.43 ERA, for five runs in the second inning. Aaron Judge clubbed his 25th homer — his fourth in three games — as New York prevailed 6-3.
“You have to execute. There are no free outs in (New York’s lineup),” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said.
It hasn’t helped that the Royals have not scored more than three runs in any game against the AL East-leading Yankees this season. All three runs on Wednesday came in the ninth inning, highlighted by Salvador Perez’s two-run homer.
Kansas City has averaged 3.2 runs while going 10-18 since starting 24-16. The Royals have managed just two runs in 13 innings against Yankees starters in this series.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have scored 39 runs in their past five games.
“I just think we’re doing it all around,” New York outfielder Trent Grisham told Amazon Prime Video.
Judge, who owns a major-league-best .394 batting average, is 10-for-19 with three homers and five RBIs versus Kansas City this season.
“The most amazing part of it is I feel like he’s just playing well,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I don’t feel like he’s been on fire at any point.
“I think he’s just out there playing well, getting his hits, doing his thing.”
Judge, however, is 1-for-11 with five strikeouts against Kansas City’s scheduled Thursday starter, Seth Lugo (3-5, 3.46 ERA).
During the Royals’ 4-1 loss in the Bronx on April 14, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Grisham, Ben Rice and Austin Wells homered off Lugo, who allowed three other hits and two walks over 6 2/3 innings. In his career against the Yankees, Lugo is 5-3 with a 3.00 ERA in 15 appearances (five starts).
The right-hander yielded a solo homer and one other run in five innings during a no-decision against the host Chicago White Sox on Friday.
New York’s Paul Goldschmidt, who hit a two-run single on Wednesday, and DJ LeMahieu are a combined 14-for-27 against Lugo.
Yankees starter Will Warren (4-3, 5.34) is slated to face Kansas City for the first time Thursday. During a four-start stretch from May 9-25, the right-hander went 2-0 with a 2.05 ERA. However, he has allowed 11 runs and eight walks over 6 2/3 innings of his two outings since then.
Warren gave up four of those runs and four walks in 4 1/3 innings on Friday against the Boston Red Sox, but New York jumped out to an 7-0 lead and won 9-6.
He will try to help halt an 11-game hitting streak by Kansas City’s Vinnie Pasquantino, who is batting .429 during that run. Pasquantino has also reached base in 26 consecutive contests.
–Field Level Media
