KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — The Toronto Blue Jays, clinging to a postseason position, open a critical three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Friday night.

Toronto (89-64) arrives after a 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, a defeat that snapped a three-game winning streak. Despite the loss, the Blue Jays have won eight of their last 12 games as they battle for an American League wild-card spot.

The Royals (76-77), meanwhile, were shut out 2-0 by the Seattle Mariners on Thursday. Kansas City has struggled for consistency, splitting its last 10 games and sitting just below the .500 mark.

The teams last met in early August in Toronto, where the Royals took two of three games. Kansas City won the series opener 9-3 and the finale 7-4, with the Blue Jays securing a 4-2 victory in the middle game.

According to projections from Interstat, the Blue Jays are favored to even the season series. The simulator predicts a 7-4 Toronto victory, while its ELO rating system gives the Blue Jays a 54.6% probability to win. Toronto is installed as a -1.5 run favorite, and the over/under for total runs is set at 9.

The series begins a final homestand for the Royals, who will hit the road for seven games against the Los Angeles Angels and Athletics after Sunday. For the Blue Jays, this series kicks off a six-game road trip before they return home for a daunting seven-game stretch against the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays to close the regular season.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CDT.