Kansas City Royals vs. New York Yankees
7:05 PM, Thursday July 22 – MLBN
Pitching Probables: Bruce Chen vs. C.C. Sabathia
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A rare national television appearance for the Royals…too bad their ace and one recognizable name, Zach Greinke, pitched yesterday, carving up the Blue Jays. Instead it is Bruce Chen, who has a surprising winning record given that he pitches for the Royals. Given his talent and the fact that he has played for very few good teams it is not surprising that Chen has only one win in ten starts against the Yankees. This year he has proven to be somewhat dependable but it would be unwise to think that this is a game the Royals will win. Their one hope is to try and make Sabathia work in the early innings and try and take advantage of a Yankees bullpen that, other than Mariano Rivera, is supsect. This series against New York will put that majors leading .281 average to the test.
The Yankees enter this game having alternated wins and losses since the All-Star Break. if that trend continues they are due for a loss but given the competition that trend looks like it is going to be broken. C.C. Sabathia has won 9 starts in a row and is about as consistent a pitcher as there is in baseball these days. In each of those games he has gone at least seven innings and only once has he given up as many as 4 runs. Needless to say he keeps the team in the game long enough for the Yanks offense to do some damage. He also is very sharp when New York is a heavy favourite (7-1) as they are tonight. He is a true ace. On the offensive side the Yankees are averaging over 5 runs a game and Robinson Cano is finally getting some help in the slugging department. Their lineup has very few weak spots and exploits mediocre pitching, sorry K.C. but after Greinke that is all you have got.
Prediction: It should come as no surprise when the Yankees win tonight. I see a complete game from Sabathia and an early offensive barrage that puts the game out of reach.
Score Prediction:
New York Yankees – 7
Kansas City Royals – 1
The odds makers have the Yankees at –1-½ – favorites with a run total of 9.
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