Game Seventy-Five; Royals at Rangers

Going for the sweep

The Royals entered their series with the Rangers, coming off one of their worst weeks of the season, having dropped six straight games. Series sweeps against the Yankees and last-place Athletics put a damper on what felt like a promising season. The team had a players-only meeting and used their Monday off hunting for how they could get the season back on track. As they entered the road trip, the Royals knew they needed to bounce back, and fast.

Entering this series, the Rangers had taken 18 of the last 22 games against the Royals, and Kansas City's struggles in Texas were well documented. The Royals jumped out of the gates, scoring three runs in the first inning of game one and six runs in each of the first two games. The offensive explosion boosted Kansas City to win its first two games, and today it will look for a sweep in a getaway game to close the series.

Michael Wacha will take the mound for the Royals today, coming off his worst start of the season. Against the Athletics, Wacha allowed five runs in 5.1 innings and took the loss as the Royals fell 6-4 last Friday. Entering June, Wacha had an ERA below three, but his struggles in June have been a setback to what otherwise has been one of the best seasons of his career.

Last year in early May, Wacha had maybe his worst start of the season against the Rangers, allowing seven runs in 3.2 innings. Outside of that start, Wacha has a 1.79 ERA against Texas, with his most recent outing going five innings, only allowing one run and three hits. Wacha has struggled recently, but today will be a great opportunity for him to bounce back and get back on track this season.

For the Rangers, Shawn Armstrong will take the mound for his second start of the season. Armstrong started the year in the bullpen, but some injuries have caused the Rangers to shuffle their rotation. Armstrong has an ERA of 2.90 and has not allowed a run in over a month. He has not gone more than three innings in an outing this season, and I would expect this game to be more of a bullpen game for the Rangers today.

Armstrong did appear in game one against the Royals, where he pitched one scoreless inning and got a strikeout in twelve total pitches. Armstrong has three good fastballs, with a sinker as his primary pitch, but also mixes in a healthy amount of four-seamers and cutters as well. His only other offering is a sweeper with big lateral movement and a 36% Whiff rate, and has a .056 BA on the year.

The Royals will need to stay disciplined at the plate and make Amrstrong throw strikes, as his chase rates are low and his walk rate is above 10%. If they can look middle and work the count, they could find early success in their final game in Texas.

Offensively for the Royals, Jac Caglianone returns to the lineup, and the Royals go back to their usual first six hitters. Freddy Fermin is back behind the plate, and Drew Waters will be in left field against the righty, looking to find some success in what has been an abysmal June for him thus far. Waters had a hit in game one, just his sixth of the month, and the Royals will hope he can return to his early-season form.

The Rangers will return to their game one lineup with the only change being Josh Jung at third base, hitting eighth. They will look to tag a struggling Michael Wacha and salvage a series they desperately need to keep the AL West within reach.