Minnesota @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 20, 2016 ) Minnesota 0, Kansas City 10

The Kansas City Royals were presumed to be out of the race for a playoff spot in the American League one season after their World Series title, but they have been making up lost ground over the last week. The Royals will be searching for their eighth straight win when they go for a four-game sweep of the visiting Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

Kansas City has picked on the Twins for four of the seven wins, beginning with an 11-4 triumph at Minnesota last Sunday. The Royals needed 11 innings and had to fight through multiple rain delays in Friday’s 5-4 triumph but ran away with the other two games in the series by a combined 18-1. Kansas City pitchers are allowing an average of 1.7 runs during the winning streak as the Royals have crawled three games over .500 and within 4 1/2 games of the Baltimore Orioles for the second AL wild card. The Twins (49-74) are in last place in the AL, the lone team yet to reach 50 wins, and have dropped eight of their last 11 overall.

TV: 2:15 p.m. FSN North (Minnesota), FSN Kansas City

PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Ervin Santana (6-9, 3.43 ERA) vs. Royals LH Danny Duffy (10-1, 2.73)

Santana is enjoying a string of three straight victories and five straight quality starts, capped by seven scoreless innings at Atlanta on Tuesday. The Dominican Republic native allowed two or fewer earned runs in each of the last five outings and issued a total of five walks in that span. Santana was not quite as strong in his last chance against the Royals on May 24, when he was knocked around for six runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Duffy is riding his own streak of six consecutive quality starts and has not lost since June 6. The 27-year-old followed up a complete-game win over the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 11 by limiting the Detroit Tigers to one run and three hits over 7 2/3 innings of a win on Tuesday. Duffy has not faced Minnesota since a relief appearance on April 9 and is 4-1 with a 2.33 ERA in 13 career games – nine starts – against the Twins.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Royals bullpen has combined for 26 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings.

2. Minnesota 1B Joe Mauer is 0-for-11 with four strikeouts in the series.

3. Kansas City CF Lorenzo Cain recorded three of the team’s 17 hits on Saturday and is 14-for-27 during the winning streak.

PREDICTION: Royals 6, Twins 1