By The Associated Press
The Kansas City Royals host the Chicago Cubs to open a three-game series.
Chicago Cubs (49-55, fifth in the NL Central) vs. Kansas City Royals (56-47, third in the AL Central)
Kansas City, Missouri; Friday, 8:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Cubs: Kyle Hendricks (2-8, 6.69 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 52 strikeouts); Royals: Brady Singer (6-6, 3.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 106 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Royals -148, Cubs +124; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Kansas City Royals host the Chicago Cubs to begin a three-game series.
Kansas City has gone 35-20 at home and 56-47 overall. Royals pitchers have a collective 3.76 ERA, which ranks ninth in MLB play.
Chicago has a 49-55 record overall and a 22-30 record in road games. The Cubs are 37-20 in games when they record eight or more hits.
The teams meet Friday for the first time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Salvador Perez leads Kansas City with 18 home runs while slugging .469. Bobby Witt Jr. is 21-for-39 with three home runs and nine RBI over the last 10 games.
Christopher Morel leads Chicago with 18 home runs while slugging .375. Seiya Suzuki is 10-for-38 with two home runs and five RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Royals: 6-4, .290 batting average, 3.48 ERA, outscored opponents by 16 runs
Cubs: 4-6, .237 batting average, 2.73 ERA, outscored by five runs
INJURIES: Royals: MJ Melendez: 10-Day IL (ankle), Dan Altavilla: 60-Day IL (oblique), Josh Taylor: 60-Day IL (biceps), Kyle Wright: 60-Day IL (shoulder)