AP Sports Preview Royals at White Sox CHICAGO (Interstat) — The Kansas City Royals visit the Chicago White Sox on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field, with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. under cloudy skies and 70 degrees. Kansas City (34-48) has lost three straight following Thursday’s 13-2 blowout at Tampa Bay. The Royals have dropped seven of their last 10 and sit in last place in the American League Central. Chicago (41-38) is coming off a 4-3, 10-inning loss to Cleveland on Wednesday, snapping a two-game winning streak. The White Sox hold third place in the division, 4½ games behind first-place Cleveland. The season series has favored Chicago, which won two of three at home in mid-May and split a six-game set overall. The White Sox took four of six meetings this year, though the Royals won the last two matchups in April by 2-0 scores. The teams are scheduled to face off again Saturday and Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field. Players to watch Royals catcher Carter Jensen enters on a tear, hitting safely in each of his last 10 games. Over that stretch, he is batting .375 (15-for-40) with three home runs and eight RBIs. In Thursday’s loss, Jensen went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and two RBIs, his third long ball in the last six games. He is hitting .286 with a .875 OPS for the season. White Sox left-handed reliever Chris Murphy has been lights out of late. Over his last six appearances, Murphy has allowed no runs and just three hits in 5⅔ innings, striking out seven. On Wednesday, he pitched 1⅓ scoreless frames with two strikeouts. Murphy, who holds a 2.70 ERA in 25 appearances, has not allowed an earned run since June 12. Projection Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-4 Royals victory, but Kansas City’s pitching staff — which allowed 13 runs Thursday — will need a rebound. The Royals have lost six of their last eight road games. Chicago, meanwhile, is 22-16 at home this season. After Friday, the White Sox open a seven-game road trip at Baltimore and Cleveland. The Royals continue their nine-game road swing with two more in Chicago before returning home to face Tampa Bay.