Breaking: According to an ESPN article, the Rangers have formally agreed to a four-year, $145 million contract with a highly experienced pitcher.

Two teams that have done their share of swooning in June face off Friday night when the Kansas City Royals open a three-game series against the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas. Both teams have sputtered to 7-10 records so far this month. The Rangers, who have lost five of their past six games, are in third place in the American League West, 8 1/2 games behind the Seattle Mariners. The Royals, who are just 3-8 over their past 11 games, are second in the AL Central, six games behind the Cleveland Guardians.

Right-hander Brady Singer (4-4, 3.39 ERA) will start the series opener for Kansas City while right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (3-3, 3.15) gets the nod for the Rangers. Singer has gone four starts since his latest win on May 19 against the Oakland Athletics. He has lost his past two starts, including a 3-0 road defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, when he yielded two home runs to Shohei Ohtani and another to Freddie Freeman. Singer is 0-3 with a 6.05 ERA in four career starts against the Rangers. He pitched well against them in a May 3 start at Kansas City, allowing one run on four hits over six innings while striking out eight in a 7-1 Royals win.