Kansas City at Cleveland

The defending champs have disappointed, but still have talent and a winning record. After a miserable stretch they've won three of the last five and the offense has turned things around, scoring 34 runs the last seven games. Kansas City is 19-8 against the AL Central. The Royals are pleased with the return of Jason Vargas (3.00 ERA), who made his first start since July 2015 when he went against the White Sox on Saturday. He allowed one run and two hits over three innings. Vargas faced Cleveland three times last season and went 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA. The Royals are 17-7 against a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30 and face Cleveland rookie Mike Clevinger (2-2, 4.76 ERA). He's been mainly a reliever this season, walking 25 in 45+ innings with 39 hits allowed. This is not an easy park to pitch in and Clevinger has walked 17 in 23 innings at home in 2016 -- 35 base runners in those 23 innings. Take Kansas City.