In a clash that I'm certain is keeping fans on edge, we have the Arkansas-Shaped Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who always make my spine tingle in a way a visit to the chiropractor could never fix. The Royals will play in their fancy away jerseys and will suffer, mildly albeit, from the home field benefits that PNC Park in Pittsburgh provides to batters. I tell you, my walk-in closet is more claustrophobic than that Park.
The Royals will hit the Pirates with Michael Wacha on the mound, sporting a neat and tidy 3.38 ERA with his name on it. Conversely, the Pirates have Mitch Keller, having what we loosely describe as a 'fun' season with a 3.89 ERA. Wacha has been a smidgen more disciplined though, ensuring less people reach base as compared to Keller.
The Royals will heavily bank on the big three, namely Thomas Pham, Hunter Renfroe, and Bobby Witt Junior. Witt Junior has been as successful with the bat as I am at unsuccessfully masking sarcasm. If only my dry wit could score 11 runs for my team. On the other hand, the Pirates will unleash Nick Gonzales and Oneil Cruz on the unsuspecting Royals - Cruz, who in a past life, I'm convinced must have been a street thief with those stolen base numbers.
The rather grim-faced history between these two teams tells a mixed tale. The most recent clash between them featured the Royals laughing their way to a glory-filled victory. Perhaps the Pirates' ship sank that day. The Royals have been performing in a superior manner overall this season which they'll hope is not just a fluke of nature.
However, recent form is a nifty party trick to pull out of your hat. The Royals seem to have mastered the art of leaping between victories and defeats, while the Pirates are leaping like sprightly frogs from a victory over Miami, before encountering the Royals rush.
In the end, the victor could probably be decided by a coin toss. But in the game of sport, the coin is replaced by strategy, in-depth analysis, and my incredibly accurate predictions. So brace yourselves…
Albert’s Prediction: Kansas City Royals by 3