Boston at Kansas City

Boston is on the road for the sixth straight game and with a shaky young starter on the mound in Hector Velazquez (6.48 ERA). He faced two weak offenses in his two starts, Philly and Oakland, both on the road, getting smoked by the A's for nine hits, two walks, and six runs in five innings. Now he heads to a hot Kansas City offense that has won seven of eight while scoring 52 runs. The Royals are steadily climbing back into the race in the American League Central. During their nine-game road trip, Kansas City scored 56 runs, hit 18 homers, and batted .292 (96-for-329). Kansas City posted a 3.17 ERA during the trip and has veteran Jason Hammel going, who has turned things around with three consecutive quality starts. He has recorded a pair of wins and a 2.21 ERA in that stretch. Kansas City is 29-17 at home against a team with a winning percentage of 54% to 62%, as well as 29-12 at home versus AL East opponents. Play Kansas City.