Oakland @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 17, 2016 ) Kansas City 2, Oakland 3

The Kansas City Royals will need to continue their winning ways if they wish to qualify for the playoffs, let alone defend their World Series title. The Royals will look to chip away at their four-game deficit for the second wild-card spot in the American League on Monday, when they begin an eight-game homestand with the first of four contests versus the Oakland Athletics.

Eric Hosmer has homered in back-to-back contests for Kansas City, which needs to leap past five teams to gain the elusive last playoff spot. The 26-year-old has recorded four multi-hit performances in his last six games overall and is batting .331 in 32 career encounters with Oakland. The Royals will begin a stretch of 14 of their next 20 at Kauffman Stadium against the Athletics, who won two of three in the teams' initial series in April but summarily have fallen on hard times. Cellar-dwelling Oakland (60-52) was swept by Seattle over the weekend and has dropped 27 of its last 40 to fall a season-worst 22 games under .500.

TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, CSN California (Oakland), FSN Kansas City

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Ross Detwiler (1-3, 5.15 ERA) vs. Royals RH Dillon Gee (6-7, 4.34)

Detwiler makes his first start since Aug. 31 after allowing three runs and five hits in three innings of long relief versus the Los Angeles Angels last Monday. The 30-year-old is 0-3 in five outings since scattering six hits over eight sterling frames in a 1-0 victory over Baltimore on Aug. 10. Detwiler dropped his lone encounter with Kansas City on May 14, 2015, when he yielded three runs and nine hits over five innings in a loss.

Gee allowed three solo homers over six innings in his last start but walked away without a decision versus Minnesota. The 30-year-old owns a 2-1 record with a 2.84 ERA over his last five appearances with 16 strikeouts against one walk. Gee has struggled mightily in three career outings versus Oakland, going 0-2 with a 6.39 ERA in 12 2/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Kansas City's Ned Yost is one victory shy of 1,000 in his managerial career.

2. The Athletics parted ways with struggling former All-Star 1B/DH Billy Butler, who played with the Royals from 2007-14.

3. Kansas City OF Lorenzo Cain (sprained left wrist) is expected to see a specialist, with Yost telling reporters that the team will decide in a week if it will shut him down for the season.

PREDICTION: Royals 5, Athletics 2