Phenom Shohei Ohtani, streaking Robinson Cano visit the Royals in KC this week

The Royals are back in Kansas City for their first extended homestand of the season. They’ll host the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium for a three-game set (7:15 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and 1:15 Wednesday, all on FSKC). Then they will welcome the Los Angeles Angels for four games (7:15 Thursday and Friday on FSKC, 6:15 Saturday on FS1 and 1:15 Sunday on FSKC).

Here are a few things to know about these opponents as the Royals (2-5) attempt to balance their record.

Ohtani mania

If you haven’t caught up on The Saga of Shohei Ohtani, now would be a good time. The two-way rookie from Japan, billed as the next Babe Ruth, won AL player of the week honors Monday and is on schedule to pitch against the Royals on Sunday. In his most recent start for the Angels, Ohtani retired the first 19 batters he faced, striking out 11, but fell eight outs shy of becoming the 24th major-league pitcher to throw a perfect game.

Before Marcus Semien of the Athletics caught a 96 mph fastball on the end of his bat for a single to break up Ohtani’s bid in the seventh inning, Ohtani had thrown 79 pitches. He had induced contact so weak that of the eight groundouts, lineouts or flyball outs the Athletics made, none exceeded an exit velocity of 89 mph. Semien’s hit up the left side of the infield traveled at a speed of 101.1 mph. Another batter reached base, but Ohtani escaped the inning without allowing a run. Of the 91 pitches he threw in seven innings, 59 were strikes.

In his first start, which also came against the Athletics, Ohtani allowed three hits and three runs, all of which scored on a homer by Matt Chapman in the second inning of the game on April 1. Only one of the next 15 batters he faced reached base, on a walk in which the fifth pitch was a 98 mph fastball that ran high out of the zone.

While the right-handed Ohtani has wrecked opposing batters using a nightmarish splitter that breaks sharply and dishing out a curveball that clocks about 30 mph slower than his four-seam heater, he’s also batted .389 (7 for 18) with three home runs and seven RBIs through four games as a designated hitter.

Ohtani, 23, became the third major-leaguer to record two wins and hit three homers in his team’s first 10 games since Jim Shaw of the Washington Senators in 1919, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Hot-hitting Cano

Last week’s frigid conditions in Detroit and Cleveland froze the Royals offense, which scored only six runs and amassed 30 hits during a weather-shortened five-game road trip.

But when the Mariners and second baseman Robinson Cano ran into chilly temperatures of their own in Minnesota this weekend, Cano continued to hit at a clip matched only by the Phillies’ Rhys Hoskins. Cano has batted .440 with an on-base percentage of .517 through the Mariners’ seven games. He hit three triples, drove in three runs and slugged .560 over 25 at-bats.

Cano, who has a hit in all seven games, is tied with Hoskins for the best batting average in baseball.

In 94 career games against the Royals, Cano has hit 13 home runs and logged 56 RBIs. He owns a career batting average of .315 at Kauffman Stadium.

Although he hasn’t seen much of Monday’s starter, Jakob Junis, Cano has six hits, including a home run, and four RBIs in 21 plate appearances against Danny Duffy, who is slated to start Wednesday afternoon.

Angels starters

The Angels’ starting rotation as a whole hasn’t performed as well as Ohtani, who has a 2.08 ERA. LA's 4.99 ERA ranks 23rd in the major leagues.

Yet Angels starters went 5-2 in 48 2/3 innings over 10 games and have held opponents to a .211 batting average, the fourth-lowest mark in baseball. They haven’t even played in conditions like the Royals have endured in the last week, which has helped the Royals to limit opponents to a .205 clip that ranks second in baseball.

The Angels bullpen has been about as effective. Opponents batted .194 and struck out 46 times against Angels relievers to start the season.

The Angels, who entered Monday with a 7-3 record and in second place in the American League West, will play three games against the Rangers before traveling to Kansas City.

Miscellaneous

The Angels scored 60 runs and batted .264 in their first 10 games — marks that rank second and fourth in baseball. They also ranked second with a .469 slugging percentage.

The Mariners lead the American League with an on-base percentage of .340.

This story was originally published April 9, 2018 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Phenom Shohei Ohtani, streaking Robinson Cano visit the Royals in KC this week."