Streaking right-hander Jeremy Guthrie goes for a fourth consecutive victory on Monday night when the Kansas City Royals host the Minnesota Twins to open up a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.
Guthrie won just eight games in 20 decisions while splitting 2012 between Colorado and Kansas City, but he equaled that total on July 8 this season with a 5-1 defeat of the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
He was a 5-3 loser at Cleveland five days later, but has since won three straight starts to get to a career-high 11 victories for the second time and first since 2010 while he was with the Baltimore Orioles.
The three starts have yielded wins over Detroit, Baltimore and the Twins, while Guthrie has combined to allow eight runs on 22 hits in 18 innings.
The 4-3 defeat of the Twins on July 31 was his seventh win in 10 decisions against Minnesota in 13 career meetings.
Guthrie faces fellow veteran Kevin Correia, who started for the Twins in the July 31 game and allowed two runs on 10 hits to fall to 0-2 in four career meetings with the Royals.
His last victory came three starts ago against Cleveland, when he scattered three hits and allowed two runs in six innings of a 3-2 triumph.
Correia has won just twice in his last 10 starts after picking up five victories in the initial 11 outings of the season.
Minnesota is 3-7 in the last 10 games he's pitched.
On Sunday in Minnesota, Oswaldo Arcia broke a tie game with a solo home run in the seventh inning, and the Twins held on for a 3-2 victory to complete a three-game sweep of the lowly Houston Astros.
Justin Morneau went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer for the Twins, who used another solid effort from their relievers after Mike Pelfrey failed to make it past the fifth. Glen Perkins worked a scoreless ninth to anchor a bullpen that pitched to a 0.53 ERA (1 ER/17 innings) in the series.
Brad Peacock (1-4) served up both Twins home runs to take the loss. The 25- year-old call-up from Triple-A Oklahoma City struck out 10 over seven innings and was charged with three runs on four hits and a pair of walks.
In New York, Lorenzo Cain knocked in two runs and Ervin Santana tossed six solid innings as the Royals beat the Mets, 6-2, in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Mike Moustakas hit a solo homer for the Royals, who went 8-1 on a nine-game road trip. Alex Gordon and Eric Hosmer added an RBI apiece.
Santana (8-6) allowed one run on five hits while striking out five and walking three.
The Royals are 10-3 against Minnesota this season and have won the last four encounters between the AL Central foes.
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