Texas @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 20, 2013 ) Texas 1, Kansas City 2

While Texas has fallen behind in the American League wild-card chase, Kansas City still is vying for a final-week dash as the Rangers visit the Royals in Saturday’s second contest of a three-game set. Kansas City’s 2-1 win in the opener put it 2 1/2 games behind Cleveland for the second wild card, while Texas slipped one-half game off the pace. The slumping Rangers have lost 12 of 15 contests and Kansas City has won eight of its last 12.

The Royals have won 81 games to assure a string of nine consecutive losing seasons will end, but manager Ned Yost wasn’t in a celebratory mood. “We’ve broken the streak of losing seasons, but we don’t have a winning season,” Yost said. “It’s nice – that’s the farthest thing from our mind right now.” Meanwhile, Texas manager Ron Washington knows his club needs to turn things around immediately. “I’m not worried about Cleveland moving ahead of us,” Washington said. “I’m worried about winning a ballgame every night from here on out.”

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Texas)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rangers RH Matt Garza (3-5, 4.94 ERA) vs. Royals RH Jeremy Guthrie (14-11, 4.08)

Garza is 0-4 over his last five starts and hasn’t made the type of impact Texas hoped when it acquired him from the Chicago Cubs. He has allowed four or more earned runs in seven of his last nine outings and was touched up for six runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings by Tampa Bay in his last start. Garza is 0-3 with an 8.22 ERA in three September starts.

Guthrie lost to Detroit in his last outing, when he gave up three runs and a season high-tying 13 hits in eight innings. The defeat was his fourth in sixth decisions since tossing a four-hit shutout against the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 5. Guthrie, who is 9-4 at home, has allowed just nine homers in 15 starts at Kauffman Stadium but 19 in 16 road outings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Kansas City RHP Greg Holland converted his 44th save in the opener, one shy of the franchise mark shared by Dan Quisenberry (1983) and Jeff Montgomery (1993).

2. Rangers SS Elvis Andrus is batting .471 in 17 at-bats against Guthrie, while C A.J. Pierzynski is hitting .361 in 36 at-bats.

3. Royals DH Billy Butler is 8-for-20 against Garza.

PREDICTION: Royals 4, Rangers 3