The Royals have the top team batting average in baseball but rank fifth worst in team ERA. They’ve won just two of their last nine games separating themselves in the bottom of the pack in the AL Central.
The Yankees’ pitching hasn’t been the same after the All-Star break, but they’ve managed to win three out of five games against contending teams.
The Royals will be no slouch this weekend, as life begins without Andy Pettitte on Saturday.
Pitching Matchups:
| Date: | Royals starters | Yankees starters |
| Thurs., 7:05 p.m. | Bruce Chen (5-3, 4.06) | CC Sabathia (12-3, 3.13) |
| Fri., 7:05 p.m. | Brian Bannister (7-8, 5.65) | A.J. Burnett (7-8, 4.99) |
| Sat., 1:05 p.m. | Kyle Davies (4-6, 5.45) | Sergio Mitre (0-1, 2.88) |
| Sun., 1:05 p.m. | Anthony Lerew (1-4, 8.54) | Phil Hughes (11-3, 3.99) |
Players to Watch:
Royals: David Dejesus. He’s hitting .320/.386/.446 and the Yankees have been linked to him this year as a possible bench utility player.
Yankees: Nick Swisher. He’s got three multi-hit games in his past five and he’s hitting .358/.419/.642 in July. Mark Teixeira is another guy to keep an eye on, especially after hitting coach Kevin Long revealed the flaw he discovered in Tex’s swing.
Prediction:
The Royals’ pitching is really hurting lately, but the Yankees have pitching issues of their own. Something tells me a bad series this weekend could trigger a rushed move. I’ll say the Yankees split the series, based on the last round through the rotation.
