Kansas City Royals

Royals to play in Pittsburgh for first time since 2012 (weather permitting)

Published Sep. 17, 2018 10:39 a.m. ET

Neither the Kansas City Royals nor the Pittsburgh Pirates are playoff bound, but both teams are trying to finish the season strong.

The teams begin a three-game series Monday at PNC Park -- weather permitting. Rain is forecast for Pittsburgh all day and night as Florence continues to pound Eastern states.

The Royals will be starting their final road trip of the season and the Pirates are opening their final homestand.

"We want to play good baseball to the end," Pittsburgh outfielder Corey Dickerson told AT&T Sportsnet, adding that the team wants to "have good vibes going into the offseason."

Pittsburgh (74-74) reached .500 with a 3-2 win Sunday at Milwaukee. The Pirates have won two in a row, three of four and eight of 11.

"To be able to get a series win against a division rival this late in the year, it's good for us," Pirates winning pitcher Trevor Williams said Sunday. "It's good for us to carry this momentum into our final homestand."

Kansas City (52-97) would have to be nearly flawless down the stretch to avoid 100 losses for the fifth time in team history and the first time since 2006. But they have been playing good ball of late, winning three in a row, five of six and 14 of their last 20 before falling 9-6 on Sunday to Minnesota.

Pittsburgh is 12-5 in interleague play, second best in the major leagues.

Kansas City has not played in Pittsburgh since 2012.

In the series opener, Kansas City right-hander Brad Keller (8-6, 3.04 ERA) is scheduled to face Pirates right-hander Joe Musgrove (6-9, 3.87 ERA).

Keller has been a bright spot for the Royals. He leads qualifying American League rookies in ERA, and his name has circulated in AL Rookie of the Year discussions.

"I don't really look at that," Keller said of the award, according to MLB.com. "It's cool to be in the talks. But the team winning is what matters. It's cool, but it doesn't matter much."

He is 7-5 with a 3.26 ERA since joining the KC rotation May 30.

On Tuesday, Keller gave up a run and four hits, with six strikeouts and two walks, in seven innings of a 6-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. It was his sixth straight start giving up two runs or fewer.

The run he allowed was in the third, and he followed that by retiring 13 of the last 14 batters he faced, the exception being a walk in the sixth.

"I felt like I didn't have my best stuff, but I settled down and gave the team a chance to get the lead and then go deep into the game," said Keller, who will face Pittsburgh for the first time.

Musgrove, who has never faced Kansas City, has a 3.65 ERA in nine starts and 56 1/3 innings since the All-Star break, and has lasted at least seven innings in half of his past 10 starts.

On Tuesday, he struck out eight but gave up four runs in six innings of an 11-5 loss at St. Louis.