Kansas City @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 14, 2014 ) Kansas City 9, Chi. White Sox 1

James Shields attempts to win his fifth consecutive decision and Kansas City looks to complete a three-game sweep when the Royals visit the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. Kansas City is searching for its seventh straight victory after winning the first two games by a combined score of 16-3. The red-hot Royals have outscored the opposition 39-14 during their winning streak and are just 1 1/2 games behind first-place Detroit in the American League Central.

The White Sox have dropped three consecutive games and the lone bright spot in Saturday’s 9-1 loss was the play of designated hitter Paul Konerko. The 38-year-old veteran went 3-for-4 and clubbed a homer in the ninth inning to tie Andre Dawson for 42nd place in major-league history with 438. Kansas City third baseman Mike Moustakas went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs and six other Royals had two hits in a 16-hit assault on Chicago pitching.

TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, FSN Kansas City, CSN Chicago

PITCHING MATCHUP: Royals RH James Shields (7-3, 3.44 ERA) vs. White Sox RH Andre Rienzo (4-3, 5.25)

Shields hasn’t lost since May 2 against Detroit and is coming off an outing in which he gave up one unearned run and six hits in six innings while beating the New York Yankees. He does have three no-decisions over the last seven starts and gave up 15 runs and 26 hits in 18 1/3 innings in those outings. Shields is 5-5 with a 3.65 ERA in 18 career starts against the White Sox and took the loss on April 6 when he gave up one run and five hits in seven innings.

Rienzo is pitching for the first time since getting hit hard on June 6 as he was skipped in the rotation due to a rainout. He has lost three straight starts and was torched for seven runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings by the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last turn. Rienzo’s last win was May 20 against the Royals when he struck out a season-high eight and gave up two runs and five hits in six innings to improve to 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three career outings versus Kansas City.

WALK-OFFS

1. Royals SS Alcides Escobar went 2-for-4 on Saturday to extend his career-best hitting streak to 12 games.

2. Chicago SS Alexei Ramirez is 19-for-45 with two homers against Shields, while DH/1B Adam Dunn is only 5-for-29 with one homer and 12 strikeouts.

3. Kansas City DH Billy Butler hit his second homer of the season on Saturday – in his 241st at-bat – after hitting 15 or more in each of the last five seasons.

PREDICTION: Royals 8, White Sox 3