Cleveland @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 18, 2010 ) Cleveland 7, Kansas City 9

It's not too often the Kansas City Royals have a chance for a sweep, but that's the position they'll be in tonight, when they host the Cleveland Indians in the finale of a three-game series.

The Royals won the first two games of the series in markedly different fashion, squeaking out a 2-1 win in a pitchers' duel on Tuesday and surviving a slugfest in Wednesday's 9-7 victory.

It marked the third straight victory overall and the fifth straight over Cleveland this season. Kansas City hovers two games above the cellar-dwelling Indians in the American League Central.

A rare show of offensive muscle was on display Wednesday. The Royals scored their most runs since hanging a 10-spot on the St. Louis Cardinals on June 27. Kansas City needed every one of them to withstand a 17-hit assault by the Indians, who had the go-ahead run at the plate in the ninth inning in the first two games of the series.

Royals closer Joakim Soria closed the door both times, converting his 28th consecutive save opportunity and giving him 35 for the season, tying for the American League lead.

Obviously, the pitching staffs treated Wednesday's game like it was a holiday. Kansas City start Bruce Chen was battered for four runs and 11 hits before retreating to the showers after 5 2/3 innings.

It was even worse on the Indians' side of the ledger. Fausto Carmona was singed for seven runs on nine hits in just five innings. Remarkably, Cleveland pitching failed to record a single strikeout.

Unless the teams tired themselves out during Wednesday’s hit parade, the prospects of a memorable pitching matchup tonight seems rather dim.

Mitch Talbot (8-10) will try to reverse his own – as well as his team’s – slide when he faces the Royals for the second time this season. Carrying a four-game losing streak into tonight’s contest, Talbot will have to raise his game considerably.

He was 5-2 before Kansas City lit him up for six runs on eight hits in a 9-3 victory on May 20. Talbot has been regressing since, going 1-6 in his last 10 outings and failing to make it through six innings in each of his last six starts.

He’ll need to be aware of shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, who has homered in both games of the series and is batting .421 (16-for-38) in his last 13 games.

Royals starter Kyle Davies (6-7) has pitched well his last three times out, but he is averaging less than six innings per start. He went five innings in a 4-0 loss to Cleveland on May 12, allowing two runs on six hits.