What we're looking at today is an interesting stand-off, the New York Mets will be duking it out with the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. A venue that bears good tidings for those with a thirst for home runs. So you sluggers out there, it might be your day!
Let's focus on the boys doing the pitching first. The Mets have Kodai Senga on the mound and isn't he having a summer? With a jaw-dropping 1.63 ERA and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings, you wouldn't want to be holding a bat against him now, would you? Kansas counters with Michael Wacha on the other side. Not as impressive as Senga, especially with that 3.91 ERA, but he may still pull a rabbit or two out of the hat.
Onto the heavy swingers, the Mets are counting on Brandon Nimmo and Juan Soto to provide some offensive fireworks. Nimmo's clocking in at a .324 batting average with 19 RBIs and 8 homers while Mr. Soto isn't far behind with a .316 average, 22 RBIs and 10 home runs. The Royals have Freddy Fermin, Bobby Witt Jr, Salvador Perez, and Vinnie Pasquantino in their ranks. Not bad company but they seem pale in comparison to the boys from the Big Apple on the day.
Looking at the history of their confrontations, it's a bit of a mixed bag. The recent regular season records, however, tilt towards the Mets with their 53-41 showing. Recent results for both teams are nothing worth writing home about, but I've seen worse.
Here's the bottom line: It's not about being a rocket scientist. One glance at the starting pitching, and the top players, it's not hard to see which way the wind is blowing.
Albert's Prediction: New York Mets by 3