Game 72 Open Thread - Royals vs. White Sox

The Kansas City Royals hope to nip their current three game losing streak in the bud, as the team faces the Chicago White Sox in a Saturday afternoon game at Kauffman Stadium.

Wade Davis will take the mound for the Royals. Davis owns a 5.18 ERA in his first 14 starts this season, but his 4.34 FIP, 3.96 xFIP and 4.19 SIERA suggest that the right-hander has pitched better than his ERA indicates this year. Davis has not helped himself with an 8.8 BB%, but his .381 BABIP and his below-average LOB% indicate that the starter will probably surrender less runs moving forward simply due to those statistics regressing towards league-average figures.

I still find Davis starts difficult to watch, as he can be very inefficient with his pitches and slow to the plate. But he seems like an acceptable option at the back of the rotation, and I no longer assume we are going to lose every time he pitches.

Jose Quintana will start for the White Sox. Quintana sports a 3.86 ERA in his first 14 starts this season, picking up where he left last season. The southpaw has boosted his K% to a more acceptable 17.3% this season, but still survives by inducing weak contact and keeping his home runs down. His .271 BABIP has helped him out-perform his peripherals, but Quintana is still a solid option at the back end of the White Sox rotation.

First pitch is at 1:10 p.m., and FSKC will televise the game.

Song of the Day: Bad Brains - I Against I

The title track off my personal favorite Bad Brains album, "I Against I" is an awesome punk song with some funk and reggae influences. The music video actually includes the intro to the album as well as the title track.