Game CXXXIII Open Thread - The Twins of Minnesota versus the Royals of Kansas City

Hot on the heels of two straight come-from-behind victories over the Twins, the Royals look to put the Twins away before the eighth inning tonight. Both of their rallies came as the clock seemed to be running out on the Royals, their grip on a playoff spot growing more slack as their outs dwindled. Each night, late-inning heroics from the offense--first from legitimate MVP candidate Alex Gordon then the next night from the entire Royals' offense--proved to be the difference maker.

Tonight, the Royals turn to Jeremy Guthrie and the following amalgam of position players will try to thwart the evil Twins:

Broken Ground Lineup: Aoki 9, Escobar 6, Gordon 7, Butler 3, Perez 2, Willingham DH, Cain 8, Moustakas 5, Colon 4, Guthrie 1. #royals

— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) August 28, 2014

You will note that The Ham is mercifully in the lineup this evening.

The mercurial Guthrie has spent the last two months being either outstanding or terrible with little middle ground. He allowed four runs or more in six of his last ten starts. In four of those starts, he didn't make it out of the sixth inning. Sprinkled in there are a few sterling starts--at Oak Land, at Arizona, and at Texas--due in large part to the whimsical ways of the BABIP fairy. He should totally be in a playoff rotation over Ventura, though.

Here's how the #MNTwins line up against the Royals tonight in Kansas City. pic.twitter.com/O3Oc4f0oz2

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 28, 2014

Guthrie versus Milone. Last team to strikeout at the plate is a rotten egg.

A win completes the sweep. Circle gets the square.