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If Joey Votto played for Texas, would he be referred to as Walker: Texas Ranger?
Ahem. Apologies.
Today, the Royals take on the Rangers in the last of this four-game set. The Royals have lost two, the opener and last night's ugly loss. The starting pitching has been extremely suspect lately, which is a big issue.
Here are the lineups for this afternoon matinee:
#Royals & Rangers close out a 4-game set at 1:05 CT on @FSKansasCity, @MLBTV & @610SportsKC. http://t.co/lOqw76lJbv pic.twitter.com/DyyWHFLhpN
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) May 14, 2015
It's the B team lineup today, as Dyson, Orlando, Butera, and Infante get starts over the more talented regulars. Yes, Infante is part of the B team. Infante has been worth -0.1 fWAR this year and is hitting a Getzian 49% below league average. It's only a matter of time before calls for Colon to start will begin in earnest from the media and fans.
Jeremy Guthrie takes the mound for the Royals, which is not good. Guthrie has been miserable this year, with an ERA approaching six and an 'oh no, not him again' factor of over 9,000. Still, Guthrie had a brilliant start against Detroit his previous time out, the last time a Royals starter has been anywhere near cromulent over the past week. Ross Detwiler has been really bad though, so maybe the Royals can get to him.