The Kansas City Royals own the best record in baseball, while the New York Yankees have spiraled back to .500.
The Yankees will try to snap out of their worst stretch in 20 years as they open this three-game home series with the Royals on Monday.
New York (22-22) has dropped 10 of 11 for the first time since May 23-June 3, 1995, and is hitting .214 with a 6.84 ERA during a six-game skid. That started with a 6-0 defeat at Kansas City (28-15) on May 17 after splitting the first two games of the series.
The Yankees haven't lost seven straight since April 20-27, 2007.
"Teams are going to go through streaks where they're not hitting, they're not pitching, but we're making way too many mental errors. We're playing way too sloppy out there," Mark Teixeira said. "One mental error every now and then is OK. We seem to be having two or three a night."
Frustrations only grew with Sunday's 5-2 loss to Texas, returning the Yankees to the break-even mark for the first time since they were 7-7 on April 21.
"There's frustration in the room. There better be frustration," manager Joe Girardi said.
With Jacoby Ellsbury (knee) sidelined, there is added pressure on Brett Gardner to produce in the leadoff spot, but he's 5 for 33 with two runs in 10 games after hitting .333 and scoring nine times over the previous 10.
Gardner has had success, however, against scheduled starter Jeremy Guthrie, going 6 for 17 with a double and triple.
Guthrie (4-2, 4.75 ERA) has an opportunity to win four consecutive starts for the first time since 2008 after posting a 1.96 ERA during his current run. He went 1-2 with a 6.52 ERA in his first five outings.
The right-hander is trying to help the Royals bounce back from Sunday's 6-1 loss to St. Louis, ending their five-game slide.
Guthrie's latest outing was perhaps his best of the season, tossing six scoreless innings in Wednesday's 7-1 win over Cincinnati.
"I didn't have the same type of command I did a couple of starts ago," Guthrie told MLB's official website. "But my location has been a bit better. I've been getting ahead of guys and making good pitches."
Guthrie is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA in his past two outings at Yankee Stadium, but is 5-10 with a 5.06 ERA in 17 career starts against New York.
Salvador Perez is batting .371 (13 for 35) during a 10-game hitting streak, collecting four hits in the three meetings with the Yankees earlier this month.
Perez will get his first look at Nathan Eovaldi (3-1, 4.73), who is 0-1 with a 6.94 ERA in his last two starts after going 3-0 with a 3.80 ERA over his previous four.
The right-hander is coming off one of his worst performances of the season, surrendering five runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings of Tuesday's 8-6, 10-inning loss at Washington.
Eovaldi may not have Brian McCann behind the plate after a cramp in his right foot forced him to leave after eight innings Sunday.
While McCann says he should be able to play, Girardi isn't sure.
"I don't think we're really going to know until (Monday)," Girardi said. "It's one thing if it's in the foot. I'm a little bit more concerned that it moved up to the calf."
New York is batting a major league-worst .198 in day games this season, while Kansas City ranks second with a .292 mark.
