Its LimaTime (0-5 8.39 ERA) versus Noah Lowry (2-6, 5.57 ERA) this afternoon as the Royals go for the sweep of the Giants in "The City". Despite the Giants' apparently terrible offense, and the reputed "pitchers park" quality of [Insert Corporate Name Here] Park, the over/under on LimaTime homers allowed is holding steady at 2.5.
After a solid outing April 26th against the Twins, Lima's ERA stood at 6.08, and it appeared like he might be slowly approaching league-level status. Instead, Lima countered with a 10.05 ERA in May, and has thusly provided the Royals with a ERA of 12.27 in June.
Nevertheless, thanks to the managerial magic of Buddy Bell, the Royals now have 19 wins, leaving them only one game behind the Devil Rays and tied with Colorado in the Worst Team Standings. With a 6-2 record under Bell, the Royals have pulled to within 20.5 games of the Central leading White Sox.
Personally, I'm seeing more random good-fortune than any true signs of improvement. Last night the Royals rode Matt Diaz and a bad Giants lineup to a victory (Runelvys' continued inability to put hitters away leaves him at the mercy of his opponent and his defense), and these aren't quantities that can be consistently counted on.