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In a weekend series between underachieving clubs, the Kansas City Royals have added to the San Diego Padres\u2019 misery on the road. <\/p>\n
Winners of four straight at home, the Royals will try for a three-game series sweep of the Padres on Sunday. <\/p>\n
Kansas City is last in the American League Central but has totaled 13 runs in taking the first two games of this post-All-Star break set against the Padres, who have lost 18 of their past 23 road contests. <\/p>\n
Lane Thomas homered for the second straight game and Salvador Perez moved within two of tying George Brett\u2019s franchise-record 317 home runs with a two-run shot in Kansas City\u2019s 6-1 victory Saturday. <\/p>\n
Thomas is batting .400 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in the past nine games.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Coming off the All-Star break), it\u2019s almost like a fresh start,\u201d Thomas told Royals.TV. \u201cForget about the first half.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Royals have swept just two series this season, most recently at Seattle from May 1-3. <\/p>\n
San Diego, meanwhile, entered the All-Star break at 48-48, but a winner in five of eight. However, after blowing a 6-3, 10th-inning lead in their 7-6 loss Friday, the Padres managed only a Fernando Tatis Jr. home run and six total hits, while going 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and grounding into three double plays Saturday. <\/p>\n
The Padres enter the Sunday game last in the majors with 386 runs scored this season. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to score runs when the bats are sporadic,\u201d San Diego manager Craig Stammen said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHave to find a way to get that done.\u201d <\/p>\n
Perhaps the Padres can generate some needed production against scheduled Kansas City starter Noah Cameron (5-7, 4.89 ERA), who\u2019s posted a 7.20 ERA and issued 15 walks and allowed seven home runs in his past six starts. Most recently, at Baltimore on July 11, the second-year left-hander went seven innings, but yielded five runs and three homers, during the Royals\u2019 6-1 loss. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe (understands) that picking around the zone isn\u2019t the way to go. (The Orioles) made him pay for pitches that weren\u2019t all that bad,\u201d Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. <\/p>\n
Cameron did not yield a homer at San Diego last season, but did give up five hits, three walks and two runs over 5 1\/3 innings of Kansas City\u2019s 5-1 loss to the Padres on June 21, 2025.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s slated to square off against German Marquez (4-2, 5.18). Despite that hefty ERA, the Padres are 6-2 in games he\u2019s started this season. San Diego rallied for a 5-4 victory in Marquez\u2019s most recent start July 12, against the Toronto Blue Jays \u2014 even as the right-hander allowed three runs on two homers, plus four other hits, through just four innings. <\/p>\n
Marquez, who will take the ball for a fourth time since missing two months due to nerve inflammation in his right forearm, is 1-1 with a 6.19 ERA in three career starts against the Royals. <\/p>\n
Thomas and Perez are a combined 5-for-11 with a home run apiece versus Marquez. However, star teammate Bobby Witt Jr is 0-for-4 with two strikeouts against him. <\/p>\n
San Diego\u2019s Ty France, who posted two doubles Saturday, is batting .373 with 21 extra-base hits in 41 career games versus Kansas City. However, he\u2019s 1-for-9 with two strikeouts against Cameron. <\/p>\n
\u2013Field Level Media<\/p>\n