(Sports Network) - Inconsistent over his last handful of outings, Kevin Slowey will try to get back on the winning track tonight, as he toes the rubber in the Minnesota Twins' opener of a three-game set with the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

Though 2-2 over his last five games, Slowey has pitched to a 6.00 earned run average in that span, allowing four runs or more in four of those games. However, he also hurled his second shutout of the season recently, blanking the White Sox on July 28.

The success of that outing didn't carry over, as Slowey was pounded for five runs on six hits over six innings in a loss to Cleveland on Saturday, striking out seven without a walk. That setback dropped the right-hander to 7-8 on the season with a 4.21 ERA.

The 24-year-old pitched his first career complete game versus the Royals on May 29 of this season, holding them to a run with six strikeouts in his first start versus Kansas City.

Minnesota enters this series on a bit of a slide, as it dropped two of three to lowly Seattle. However, the club did avoid a sweep by besting the Mariners, 7-3, on Wednesday. Denard Span set career highs with three hits and four runs batted in and also made a leaping catch at the wall in the seventh inning to rob Adrian Beltre of a homer.

That win, coupled with yesterday's off day that featured the White Sox losing to Detroit, has the Twins a half-game back of first-place Chicago in the American League Central.

Justin Morneau has just three hits in his last 21 at-bats (.143) and hasn't fared well in his career against tonight's starter for the Royals, Kyle Davies. Lifetime against the right-hander, Morneau is 0-for-8 with a strikeout and one walk.

Davies, meanwhile, tries to win three straight starts for the first time in his career tonight, though he did win his first three decisions of this season. The 24-year-old defeated the Rays on July 27 behind five innings of one-run ball and then bested Chicago Saturday, holding the White Sox to three runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings before exiting early due to leg cramps.

Davies is now 5-2 with a 4.41 ERA in 12 starts this year and is 2-2 with a 3.98 ERA in four career starts versus Minnesota.

The Royals had won three straight and seven of eight before losing the final two games of their recent three-game set with Boston, including an 8-2 setback in Wednesday's series finale.

Ross Gload went 2-for-4 and drove in the only two runs for the Royals, who were without leading hitter David DeJesus for a fifth straight game. DeJesus, who is questionable for tonight's game, leads the club with a .301 average, but is battling a sore back and left ankle ailment.

Billy Butler went 3-for-4 and scored for the Royals on Wednesday, making him 11-for-24 (.458) over his last six games with six RBI.

The Twins have won seven of nine versus the Royals this season, taking five of the six matchups so far in Kansas City. That includes a three-game sweep by Minnesota at Kauffman Stadium on May 27-29.