Cleveland @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 25, 2018 ) Cleveland 1, Kansas City 7

The Cleveland Indians own the biggest division lead in baseball, giving them some leeway while they struggle through the end of a seven-game road trip. The Indians will try to snap their slide at four games and avoid a sweep when they visit the Kansas City Royals in the finale of a three-game series on Sunday.

Cleveland started out hot on the trip with a pair of wins at Boston but dropped the last two games of that series and carried the slump into Kansas City, where it fell in the ninth inning on Friday and was routed 7-1 on Saturday. The Indians aren't hitting much during the slump but most of the blame goes to the pitching staff, which allowed a total of 29 runs in the four contests. The Royals dropped five in a row before welcoming Cleveland and are looking for their first series sweep since taking three in a row from Minnesota coming out of the break. After watching ace Corey Kluber get knocked around on Saturday, the Indians will send rookie Shane Bieber to the mound against Royals right-hander Jorge Lopez.

TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland), FS Kansas City

PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Shane Bieber (7-2, 4.36 ERA) vs. Royals RH Jorge Lopez (0-3, 3.99).

Bieber is 2-0 in his last five starts and earned a win at Boston on Tuesday when he allowed three runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. The 23-year-old has surrendered three or fewer runs in each of his last four starts. Bieber earned the win at Kansas City on July 3 despite giving up four runs and nine hits across six frames.

Lopez is making his third start and will try to go a little longer this time after topping out at five innings on Monday at Tampa Bay. The Puerto Rico native could not get any run support against the Rays and absorbed a loss despite surrendering one run and five hits in five innings. Lopez made a relief appearance against Cleveland on May 9 as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers and yielded one run and two hits in two innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Royals 1B Lucas Duda bashed his 150th career home run on Saturday.

2. Indians 3B Jose Ramirez is 5-for-34 over the last 10 games.

3. Kansas City 1B Ryan O'Hearn is 4-for-7 with two doubles, a homer and four RBIs in the first two games of the series.

PREDICTION: Indians 5, Royals 1