With the July 31 Trade Deadline coming up, this week marked an important one for the Royals. If they wanted to pave their way out of being sellers at the Deadline, the team needed to take care of business against the Cubs to begin the week.

Matthew Boyd pitched seven crisp innings for his 11th win, and the Chicago Cubs spoiled Rich Hill’s return to the majors with a 6-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson and Matt Shaw each had two hits as Chicago ended a two-game slide.

The Royals won the series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field and knocked Chicago out of first place in the NL Central.

If the Chicago Cubs make the postseason, adding another quality starter who can slot into a playoff series would make them a serious World Series threat.

Vinnie Pasquantino hit two of Kansas City’s four two-run homers and doubled on a 3-for-4 afternoon, leading the Royals past the Chicago Cubs 8-4.

It has been known for a while now that the Cubs will look to add to the ballclub before next week’s Trade Deadline. Not that it needed to be, but waking up Wednesday morning tied for the best record in the Majors might’ve helped confirm that even more.

Witt sat out the series finale after a brief injury scare the night before. During a plate appearance on Tuesday, the 25-year-old’s leg appeared to buckle slightly. Manager Matt Quatraro said postgame that Witt felt some discomfort in his knee but downplayed the severity, calling it “nothing.”

Right away, Chicago Cubs starter Matthew Boyd demonstrated that he was completely in control of the game. Through two innings, Boyd threw 18 total pitches, efficiently carving up Royals hitters. He continued his efficiency through four innings,