let's be real: the Arizona Diamondbacks are walking into Kansas City with momentum, and that matters. FOX Sports reported the Diamondbacks are visiting the Royals on Wednesday at 7:40 p.m. EDT, and the big number hanging over this one is simple — Arizona is trying to stretch a four-game road winning streak.

That is the story. Not the noise. Not the backdrop. The Diamondbacks are 78-68 and sitting second in the NL West, while the Royals are 64-82 and fifth in the AL Central, according to FOX Sports. Kansas City has been better at home than its overall record suggests, going 38-36 in home games, but what does that really buy you when Arizona has already shown it can win away from home and has gone 37-37 on the road overall?

The pitching matchup gives the game another layer. FOX Sports lists Zac Gallen for Arizona and Daniel Lynch for Kansas City. Lynch enters at 4-5 with a 3.51 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP and 46 strikeouts, while the Diamondbacks are still trying to keep their road surge alive behind a starter listed by the outlet as Gallen. In a game like this, where the line is Diamondbacks -116 and the over/under sits at 8 1/2 runs, doesn’t it all come down to which club can turn a few clean innings into the kind of early edge that changes the whole night?

Arizona has also been doing damage when the ball leaves the yard. FOX Sports says the Diamondbacks are 23-10 in games when they hit at least two home runs, and that is the kind of split that tells you exactly how they want to win. The Royals, meanwhile, are hitting .247 as a team, which FOX Sports notes is the 10th-best team batting average in MLB play. That is respectable. It is not the same thing as controlling a game.

The recent form leans Arizona, too. Over the last 10 games, the Diamondbacks are 6-4 with a 2.74 ERA, while the Royals are 3-7 and have been outscored by 13 runs, per FOX Sports. Ketel Marte has been one of Arizona’s top performers, with 24 doubles, three triples, 22 home runs and 69 RBIs. Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez headline Kansas City’s side, with Witt posting 30 doubles, a triple and 17 home runs, and Perez going 14 for 41 with four doubles and two home runs over his past 10 games.

This is the third meeting between the teams this season, FOX Sports reported. The setup is clear. Arizona has the road streak. Kansas City has the home field. Wednesday night in Kansas City will tell the rest of the story.

Stephen A. Spliff