Ah, we got a juicy matchup here. The Tampa Bay Rays are packing their beach towels and sunglasses to visit the Kansas City Royals, smack in the middle of BBQ country. They're just begging for a mouthwatering game at the Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO, which, by the by, has been known to slightly favor those who can swing a sturdy bat...or take a wild guess who it could be.
Now, let's take a look at the boys who'll be delivering the heat from the mound. For the Rays, it's Mr. Zach Eflin who's been clocking an ERA of 4.02 this season, not too shabby, with a WHIP of 1.15 and some neat 7.3 strikeouts for every nine innings. His opposite will be the effervescent Alec Marsh from the Royals, whose ERA has been flirting with 4.29, while his WHIP at 1.21 and the K/9 at 8.3 isn’t winning any beauty pageants either. It's pretty much a dance-off to the tune of 'who's less likely to mess it up' on the mound. Charming.
Now, onto the lads whose job it is to swing and make a merry dash around the field. For the Rays, we got Yandy Diaz, who's hitting a solid .313, along with Amed Rosario and Brandon Lowe, both providing some slapstick with the bat.
Over in the Royals’ camp, Bobby Witt Jr. has been throwing some punches with a .318 batting average, and it seems like Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe are showing signs they're not here just for the free Gatorade.
Peering into the dusty libraries of past records, it seems like these two teams have been two-stepping around each other, exchanging wins and losses enough to make anyone dizzy. But The Royals seem to have an extra spring in their step this season overall, with a rather pleasant 48-40 record, while the Rays have been teetering around the .500 mark.
Recent encounters? Well, it's been a mixed picnic basket for both, as fresh as your grandma's apple pie, with the Royals snatching the most recent game. Given all these omens and other fairy dust, I'm going to dust off my crystal ball, gaze into it and...
Albert’s Prediction: Kansas City Royals by 2