CHICAGO (Interstat) — The Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox open a pivotal three-game series Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field, with both teams hovering near .500 in the early weeks of May.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. under cloudy skies and a temperature of 47 degrees.

The Royals (19-22) send right-hander Erick Fedde to the mound, seeking his first win of the season. Fedde is 0-4 with a 5.40 ERA, having lost each of his last four starts. The White Sox counter with right-hander Davis Martin, who has been one of baseball’s hottest pitchers. Martin is 5-0 this season and has won his last five starts, posting a 0.96 ERA over his previous four outings, including a dominant 6.0-inning, one-run, nine-strikeout performance against Seattle on May 10.

Chicago (19-21) took two of four from Kansas City in the teams’ last meeting April 9-12, but the Royals won the final two games of that set by 2-0 scores. The White Sox won the series opener 6-5 before dropping consecutive shutouts.

Kansas City is coming off a 6-3 loss to Detroit on Sunday, dropping two of three to the Tigers. Maikel Garcia went 3-for-3 with an RBI in the defeat. The Royals have lost five of their last seven games and have struggled to generate consistent offense, ranking near the bottom of the American League in runs per game.

Chicago enters having won three of four, including Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Seattle. Martin’s start was the anchor, and the bullpen combination of Seranthony Domínguez and Sean Newcomb closed out the win.

A player to watch for Kansas City is reliever Alex Lange. Over his last 10 appearances, Lange has allowed earned runs in just four of them and pitched 1.2 scoreless innings Sunday. For Chicago, Martin continues to be the staff ace, and he is averaging nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 Royals victory. Kansas City is a -1.5 run-line favorite, and the over/under is 9.

Following Tuesday’s game, the teams play again Wednesday and Thursday before the Royals travel to St. Louis and the White Sox host the Cubs for a weekend series.