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The Minnesota Twins open a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium. From a distance, it feels like a match-up between two teams going in very different directions for the remainder of the season.
For the Twins, things have gotten truly miserable as the team has become firmly entrenched at the bottom of the AL Central standings. Since Aug. 8, Minnesota has won just four of its past 21 games, dropping to a season-worst 25 games under .500.
The Royals have been going in the opposite direction as they've been on the rise over the past month. Kansas City struggled badly in the first few weeks following the All-Star break, but since July 31, the Royals have posted an 18-11 record, including this week's sweep of the Detroit Tigers.
Game Date & Time: Friday, Aug. 31, 7:10 p.m. CT
TV: FOX Sports North
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Minnesota. For more in-depth coverage of this series, check out Twins blog Twinkie Town and Royals blog Royals Review. For more news, notes and analysis from around baseball, visit Baseball Nation.