Royals at Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas (Interstat) — Kansas City right-hander Michael Wacha (4-2) is scheduled to start Sunday evening against the Texas Rangers in the finale of a three-game series at Globe Life Park.

First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. under cloudy skies and a temperature near 91 degrees.

The Royals (22-36) have lost four consecutive games and seven of their last eight. They dropped the first two games of this series, including a 7-6 defeat Saturday despite a solid outing from Seth Lugo, who allowed one earned run over six innings with six strikeouts. Kansas City also lost 9-1 on Friday.

Wacha will seek to halt the skid. He has not faced Texas this season. The Royals also list right-hander Jack Leiter (2-4) as a possible option, though Wacha is the probable starter.

Texas (27-31) has won three of its last four, including two straight over Kansas City. The Rangers are 6-3 in their last nine games after enduring a four-game losing streak.

Texas right-hander Kumar Rocker (3-4) is the probable starter. He earned the win Saturday against the Royals, tossing six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out two. Over his last three starts, Rocker has allowed no earned runs in 18 2/3 innings while striking out 12. He defeated Colorado 10-0 on May 19 and Arizona 6-5 on May 13 during that stretch.

Players to watch

Lugo is a key arm out of the Kansas City bullpen. In his last five outings, he has a 2.88 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings, though he took the loss Saturday.

Rocker has been dominant of late. Over his last three starts, he has allowed zero earned runs in 18 2/3 innings. He also struck out seven in the win over Colorado.

Recent history

The Rangers have taken the first two games of this series by a combined 16-7 margin. Saturday’s game featured a home run and three RBIs from catcher Carter Jensen, while Texas third baseman Josh Jung went 3-for-5 with a homer and an RBI. Catcher Danny Jansen drove in two runs for Texas.

Betting lines

Kansas City is installed as a -1.5 favorite, while the over/under is 7.5. A simulation by Interstat projects a 4-2 Texas victory.

Up next

Kansas City travels to Cincinnati to begin a three-game series Monday. Texas heads to St. Louis for a three-game set starting Monday. The teams will meet again June 9-11 in Kansas City.