New York @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 6, 2014 ) NY Yankees 4, Kansas City 2

Injuries to the starting rotation are forcing the New York Yankees to rely on some unproven commodities as they continue a 10-game road trip against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night. Rookie Chase Whitley earned his first major-league victory in Friday's series-opening win and converted reliever David Phelps hopes to stabilize his starting slot in his seventh start of the season. Derek Jeter is expected back in the lineup after sitting out Friday's game.

Kansas City needs some production from its Nos. 2-3 hitters, Omar Infante and Eric Hosmer, who are a combined 1-for-26 over the past three games. Alex Gordon is 7-for-15 with six walks during a five-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 14 of 15 games for Kansas City, which has been held to three runs or fewer in five of its last seven games. The Royals have dropped eight of 10 overall to the Yankees and the last five matchups in Kansas City.

TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH David Phelps (1-3, 4.11 ERA) vs. Royals LH Danny Duffy (3-5, 3.05)

Phelps followed up his only victory of the season by losing his next three starts, including a shellacking by Seattle in his last outing when he gave up six runs over six innings. Moved to the rotation due to myriad injuries, Phelps has pitched at least six innings in his last three runs after failing to go past 5 1/3 in his first three starts. Phelps keeps the ball in the park, allowing one homer in six starts.

Duffy has been hit-or-miss over his last four starts, rebounding from a pair of rocky outings to blank St. Louis on one hit over six scoreless innings Monday. That came on the heels of back-to-back starts in which he allowed 10 earned runs and coughed up four homers in 10 innings. Duffy has yielded one run or fewer and two or fewer hits in four of his six starts but went only 2-2 in those outings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Yankees CF Jacoby Ellsbury owns an 11-game hitting streak.

2. Royals 3B Mike Moustakas is 3-for-33 over his last 11 games.

3. SS Jeter, playing his final series in Kansas City, is a career .320 hitter in 64 games at Kauffman Stadium.

PREDICTION: Royals 4, Yankees 3