Kansas City Royals

Royals make quick stop at The K to face Angels before resuming road trip

Published Jun. 25, 2018 10:27 a.m. ET

The Kansas City Royals return home for a single game Monday afternoon in the midst of what would have been an eight-game road trip.

They play the Los Angeles Angels, making up an April 15 scheduled game that was rained out.

The Angels, meanwhile, open a 10-game road trip. They will continue east afterward and begin a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

The Royals (25-54) have lost 11 of 12 and 17 of 19.

The Angels (41-37) have lost two straight and trail the Seattle Mariners by six games for the second American League wild card.

Los Angeles left-hander Tyler Skaggs is scheduled to start on the mound after he was scratched Thursday against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays because of a sore hamstring.

Skaggs (6-4, 2.81 ERA) should have good memories of Kansas City. He threw seven shutout innings in each of his two career appearances against the Royals, both at Kauffman Stadium.

He allowed four hits and matched his career high with nine strikeouts on April 16, 2017, but was matched by Royals starter Ian Kennedy and Kansas City eventually scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to win 1-0.

Skaggs made his first career start in Kansas City in July 2016, which also marked his first major league game back from Tommy John surgery performed nearly two years earlier. He allowed three hits in the 13-0 win.

The Angels are 6-0 against the Royals this season, but Skaggs has not appeared in any of those games. He last pitched July 15 at the Oakland A's and did not allow an earned run in seven innings of an 8-4 win.

Skaggs is 3-0 in June with a 0.45 ERA, perhaps his best stretch since undergoing elbow surgery in August 2014.

"With Tyler, we've seen a constant growth in confidence," Angels manager Mike Scioscia told the Los Angeles Times. "This guy's worked so hard to get back to where he was and even a little above that now."

Right-hander Brad Keller will start for Kansas City. He is 1-2 with a 2.63 ERA in 25 appearances this season -- the first 21 out of the bullpen, the last four as starts.

Keller allowed one run in each of his first two starts, then two runs in his third. His last time out, June 17 against the Astros, he gave up three runs on nine hits and three walks over six innings in a game the Royals lost 7-4. Keller was in line for a win before the bullpen allowed four runs over the last two innings.

All four of Keller's starts have been no-decisions.