Game 101 Open Thread - Royals vs. White Sox

Miguel Tejada will start at third base for the Kansas City Royals, giving Mike Moustakas the day off. Ned Yost is also keeping Eric Hosmer in the No. 2 spot and Alcides Escobar at No. 8 despite the left-handed Chris Sale pitching for the Chicago White Sox. David Lesky of Pine Tar Press will bring us the Royals starting nine:

#Royals lineup vs. Sale: Gordon LF, Hosmer 1B, Butler DH, Perez C, Cain CF, Lough, Tejada 3B, Escobar SS, Getz 2B, Davis P

— David Lesky (@DBLesky) July 27, 2013

That's a pretty logical batting order, despite an appearance by Chris Getz.

Josh Phegley is starting the second straight game at catcher for the White Sox. I don't know anything about the 25-year-old rookie, so I'm letting John Sickels of Minor League Ball perform a guest verse:

2013 has been much better (than 2012): .316/.368/.597 with 15 homers, 15 walks, and 38 strikeouts in 258 plate appearances for Triple-A Charlotte. He hasn't hit this well since college.

On defense, Phegley is an effective weapon against baserunners, throwing out 41% of stealers this season and 46% in his minor league career. The rest of his defense is less impressive: he's not especially mobile and has trouble blocking the ball at times, leading to elevated passed ball rates.

Assuming he doesn't lose his throwing ability, Phegley can hang around the major leagues a long time as a backup. Whether he earns regular playing time will depend on his hitting; are his '13 numbers a fluke or a real breakout?

Phegley is hitting .240/.235/.480 in 51 plate appearances, good for an 84 wRC+. Considering Tyler Flowers currently sports a 68 wRC+, giving Phegley more playing time in a lost season seems like a wise decision.

The rest of the White Sox lineup is full of familiar faces. The official White Sox Twitter page brings us their batting order:

Tonight's starting #WhiteSox and #Royals lineups. pic.twitter.com/sLl9jN3JIp

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 27, 2013

Chicago hitters vs. Wade Davis should be an interesting exercise in futility.

The game starts at 6:10 p.m. CT. FSKC will carry the game for the local people, but WGN will also broadcast the game.

Song of the Day: Skyharbor - Maeva

Skyharbor released their debut album Blind White Noise: Illusion & Chaos in 2012, and it quickly became one of my favorite progressive metal albums released that year. The songs have a unique structure and skilled guitar work, and the clean vocals really shine through on "Maeva."