Mets welcome Royals to Citi Field

Right-hander Dillon Gee can get back to the .500 mark on Friday night when the New York Mets return to Citi Field to host the Kansas City Royals in the opener of a three-game interleague series.

The 27-year-old Texan began the season at 0-3 and fell as far as 2-6 before ultimately pulling even at 7-7 with a 4-2 defeat of the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 14 at PNC Park.

Gee allowed an unearned run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings of that game, which pared his earned run average from 4.60 to 4.32.

He trimmed it further by tossing seven scoreless innings in a no-decision against Atlanta on July 22 - a 2-1 loss by the Mets - but subsequently allowed four runs in seven innings of a 4-1 loss at Washington in his last outing on July 27.

Gee has never faced the Royals.

He'll face Kansas City's Wade Davis, who'll again try to stave off double- digit losses for the third time in his career.

Davis, a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in 2004, went 12-10 and 11-10 with the Rays in 2010 and 2011 before ultimately heading to the Royals in a seven- player trade in December.

He dropped four straight starts between June 29 and July 22 to fall to 4-9 on the season, but bounced back with a 1-0 defeat of the Chicago White Sox on July 27 - allowing four hits in 7 1/3 scoreless innings.

His previous win had come against the Rays back on June 16.

On Thursday in Minnesota, Billy Butler tallied two hits, two RBI and a run scored as Kansas City won its season-high ninth straight game, a 7-2 triumph over the Twins to complete a three-game sweep.

The Royals hadn't won nine in a row since they started the 2003 campaign 9-0.

Justin Maxwell, who was acquired Wednesday before the non-waiver deadline from the Houston Astros for pitcher Kyle Smith, made his Royals debut. He had a hit, an RBI and scored a run.

James Shields (6-7) labored through six innings. He allowed two runs on five hits and five walks for the Royals, who finished off their first sweep of the Twins in Minnesota in 14 years.

In Miami, Donovan Solano chased Matt Harvey from the game with a single that drove in two runs in the sixth inning, helping the Marlins beat the Mets, 3-0, in the finale of a four-game series.

Harvey (8-3) allowed only one hit before running into trouble in the sixth inning, where he gave up all three runs. He struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings.

Miami's offense gave Harvey his first earned run since the All-Star break, snapping a streak of 20 2/3 innings.

Justin Turner went 2-for-4 for the Mets, who have only won two times in their last seven games.

The Royals and Mets entered the weekend having split six all-time matchups. New York won two of three at home in 2002 and Kansas City did the same in a three-game series in 2004.