Atlanta @ Kansas City preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 24, 2019 ) Atlanta 6, Kansas City 9

The Kansas City Royals have lost 100 games this season but you never would know it when they play the Atlanta Braves, as they host the National League East champions Wednesday eyeing a sweep of the four-game season series. Kansas City improved to 3-0 against Atlanta in 2019 with a 9-6 victory Tuesday as designated hitter Jorge Soler went 2-for-3 to raise his average to .385 with four homers and 10 RBIs in his past 13 games.

Soler remains tied with Mike Trout for the AL's top spot in homers (45) as he attempts to become the first Kansas City player to lead the league in longballs, while teammate Whit Merrifield went 1-for-5 to give him a major-league leading 201 hits. Atlanta, which continues to tweak its lineup and bullpen in anticipation for next week’s NL Division Series, has its own hit leader candidate as second baseman Ozzie Albies went 3-for-4 with a double and a homer to move him within one hit of Ketel Marte’s NL-leading 187. The Braves, who are playing this series without first baseman Freddie Freeman (right elbow soreness), removed outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. from Tuesday’s game after two innings with left hip tightness. Acuna remains three stolen bases shy of becoming the fifth player in major-league history to record a 40-homer, 40-steal season.

TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), FS Kansas City

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Josh Tomlin (2-1, 3.82 ERA) vs. Royals LH Mike Montgomery (3-9, 5.00)

The Braves pushed Mike Soroka back to Sunday’s regular-season finale and will give the 10-year veteran Tomlin his first start of the season. The 34-year-old has proven to be a valuable multiple-inning arm out of Atlanta’s bullpen, pitching two or more innings in 20 of his 49 appearances, earning the first two saves of his career, and being on the mound for the final out of the division-clinching victory Friday against San Francisco. Tomlin, who has 144 career starts, has allowed one run on nine hits with no walks in his past 10 1/3 innings, and on the season has walked just seven hitters in 75 1/3 innings.

Montgomery started the season with the Cubs and made 20 relief appearances before being traded to the Royals in early July, where he moved into the starting rotation and has made 12 starts. The 30-year-old has allowed four runs or more six times, including in his last outing Thursday at Minnesota when he surrendered five runs on seven hits - including three homers - over four innings. Montgomery, who is 0-4 with a 5.70 ERA in six starts after back-to-back victories in mid-August, gave up five runs (four earned) over 4 2/3 innings across three relief appearances for the Cubs against Atlanta this season.

WALK-OFFS

1. Atlanta SS Dansby Swanson snapped an 0-for-16 skid with a fifth-inning single Tuesday.

2. Royals INF Nicky Lopez went 3-for-4 with two RBIs Tuesday, and has gone 35 consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout (longest active streak in the majors).

3. Braves C Francisco Cervelli homered in the fifth inning Tuesday, and eight of his nine hits since joining Atlanta have been for extra bases (five doubles, one triple, two homers).

PREDICTION: Royals 4, Braves 2