Brewers, Royals leaning on star catchers

With the Milwaukee Brewers traveling to Kansas City to face the Royals on Monday, the three-game series will feature a pair of slugging catchers leading potent offenses.

The Brewers were shut out 5-0 on Sunday to lose their three-game series with the Chicago Cubs, but still rank ninth in the majors with 165 runs in 33 games.

William Contreras leads the club with 44 hits and 27 RBIs while sporting a .930 OPS.

Not to be outdone, Salvador Perez ranks among league leaders in homers with eight and boasts an American League-best 30 RBIs. He also has a .954 OPS as the Royals have outscored opponents by 44 runs.

Perez's career-best 22-game on-base streak ended in Saturday's 15-4 loss to the Rangers, but his contribution to Kansas City's best start in years is difficult to overstate.

Royals fans summoned Perez from the dugout for a curtain call after his three-run homer in Friday's 7-1 win. The long-time fan favorite and lone holdover from Kansas City's 2015 World Series team has always felt the pulse of the hometown fans.

"Pretty special. I appreciate the fans in Kansas City," Perez said afterward. "Thank you for coming to support us. We're going to play hard every night. We're going to try to do our best to get back in the playoffs."

Both the Royals and Brewers have lost back-to-back contests following three-game winning streaks and Monday's game will feature a pair of starting pitchers who are relatively new to their roles.

Right-hander Bryse Wilson (2-1, 3.00 ERA) will make his fourth start following his longest stint of the season when he allowed the game's only run in six innings, striking out six in a loss to Tampa Bay. He has never faced Kansas City.

Wilson is transitioning from the bullpen, having made six relief appearances this year after working exclusively in relief last season.

"I like him as a starter," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after Wilson threw 4 1/3 innings in a 3-2 win against the Pirates on April 24. "He's just getting started at it and I think he's very capable."

Until his trade to Kansas City last July, left-hander Cole Ragans (2-2, 3.44) had pitched primarily in relief for the Rangers. Monday's start will be Ragans' 20th for the Royals, who have used him exclusively as a starter, with spectacular results as Ragans has fashioned a 2.91 ERA with 135 strikeouts in 108 1/3 innings.

"Success breeds confidence," Ragans told the Dallas Morning News. "You have a little success, you start getting a little more confident. I learned a lot about myself in the last year."

Ragans has won his last two starts while surrendering a single run in each game. His 6 2/3 innings on April 30 was his longest outing of the year as he struck out nine Blue Jays in the 4-1 victory. He has never faced the Brewers.

--Field Level Media