Kansas City Royals (67-86, fifth in the AL Central) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (76-77, third in the NL Central)

Pittsburgh; Friday, 6:40 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Royals: Randy Dobnak (3-4, 2.73 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 47 strikeouts); Pirates: Paul Skenes (10-11, 3.78 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 185 strikeouts)

LINE: Pirates -186, Royals +151; over/under is 8 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates host the Kansas City Royals on Friday to begin a three-game series.

The Pirates are 76-77 overall and 39-36 at home. Pirates hitters are batting a collective .253, which ranks fourth in the NL.

The Royals are 67-86 overall and 28-50 in road games. The Royals have a 30-16 record in games when they hit two or more home runs.

The teams meet Friday for the first time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Bryan Reynolds has 37 doubles, two triples and 17 home runs for the Pirates. Konnor Griffin is 10 for 43 with three doubles, a triple and four RBIs over the last 10 games.

Bobby Witt Jr. has 30 doubles, a triple and 18 home runs for the Royals. Michael Massey is 11 for 40 with a double, a home run and an RBI over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 6-4, .263 batting average, 3.89 ERA, outscored by one run

Royals: 4-6, .196 batting average, 3.24 ERA, outscored by four runs

INJURIES: Pirates: Kirby Yates: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Esmerlyn Valdez: 10-Day IL (hamstring), Braxton Ashcraft: 15-Day IL (arm), Isaac Mattson: 15-Day IL (hip), Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (hip), Mitch Keller: 60-Day IL (arm)

Royals: Tony Gonsolin: 15-Day IL (elbow), Carlos Estevez: 60-Day IL (foot), Stephen Kolek: 60-Day IL (flexor), Connor Seabold: 60-Day IL (lat), Beck Way: 15-Day IL (back), Nick Mears: 60-Day IL (shoulder), James McArthur: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luinder Avila: 60-Day IL (forearm), Cole Ragans: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jonathan India: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alec Marsh: 60-Day IL (shoulder)

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.