The Royals are on national TV. Cue the whining. Or the excitement. Whatever emotion you feel personally, just brace yourself to hear Salvador Pear-ez all evening.
As the Royals and Angels prepare to conclude their four-game series, Kansas City will look to do something that it hasn't done in nearly three years: go 25 games over .500. What's staring them in the face is their most unfavorable pitching matchup of the series, at least on paper:
Hector Santiago (7-6, 2.87 ERA), a first-time All Star in 2015, is having a terrific season for the Angels. He's a strikeout pitcher who has always been solid, but his emergence as a front-of-the-rotation guy has been key for Los Angeles in a season full of pitching issues. Santiago has been even better in his career against the Royals, posting a 1.53 ERA in 11 career appearances, including five starts. Kansas City beat him for the first time in his career back on April 10, plating three runs off Santiago in 5.1 innings.
Opposing the ever-so-consistent Santiago is the anything-but-ever-so-consistent Yordano Ventura (7-7, 4.97), who is in the midst of a nightmare season but has been slightly better as of late. The flame-throwing Ventura threw six shutout frames in his last start, and he was splendid against the Angels in last year's ALDS (7.0 innings, five hits, one run). Against the power-hitting Halos lineup, he'll need to avoid walking batters and keep the ball down. Oh, and please don't get ejected. Please. Not on ESPN. Then they'll move the Royals up on their idiotic biggest current villains in sports list.
Who's ready for some Sunday Night Baseball from The K? How do you feel about the Royals being on national TV? Fans asked for more love from the big name networks, and Kansas City is starting to get that recognition.