Off Day Baseball

The Royals don't play baseball today, which is sad, very sad indeed.  Just a few years ago an off day was a nice time to relax and cleanse our souls from the stench of ugly losses and terrible management.  Now, the Royals are our drugs, and what a lovely drug a 26-14 team is.

Thankfully, there are other baseball games tonight.  If you have MLB.tv, you can watch them.  If you don't, then you can follow along on gameday.  Or here.  Or wherever.  There is no spoon.

Who's playing tonight? These teams are!

Angels (21-19) at Blue Jays (18-24)

Worth watching: depends on how much you like knuckleballs

Remember in 2010 when R.A. Dickey became a fantastic knuckleballer?  Remember when there was talk that the Royals should acquire him?  Dickey has been as thoroughly mediocre as you would a 40-year old would expect.  Meanwhile, the Angles (can we call them that?) have been somewhat obtuse this year and have been somewhat disappointing in the shadow of their great 2014. Until the Royals grabbed the Angles and beat the theorem out of them in the playoffs.

Brewers (15-26) at Braves (19-20)

Worth watching: no

Let's see: NL baseball, one horrible team, one bad team, and stakes somewhere in the Marianas Trench.  I'll pass.

Athletics (14-28) at Rays (22-19)

Worth watching: YES, LET THE ATHLETICS BURN

I'm not entirely certain somebody didn't perform an arcane ritual during the Wild Card Game.  During this ritual, the Kansas City Royals would get all of the Athletics' success for the next year distilled into the next dozen games as well as a green elephant dancing on an oversized baseball for the zoo.  Oakland would get Billy Butler.

Rangers (17-23) at Red Sox (19-21)

Worth watching: only if ESPN understands there are other baseball teams

Two years ago, the Rangers and Red Sox won a combined 304 games.  Last year, they won a picnic basket full of spiders and a Justin Bieber mixtape.  Boston has way overperformed so far based on their run differential.  Texas has been hurt.

Racists (16-23) at White Sox (18-19)

Worth watching: if your plan is to hate everyone on the field, then yes

Hey, an AL Central matchup! Granted, these are the two worst teams in the division right now but whatever.  Should probably root for Cleveland; Chicago has an outside chance at climbing back into the divisonal race.  Cleveland not so much.

Cubs (22-17) at Padres (20-21)

Worth watching: sure

These two clubs are two of the most interesting NL teams.  Chicago has super prospect Kris Bryant and a gaggle of other talented young'uns.  San Diego has James Shields, Wil Myers, and Matt Kemp along with a totally renovated lineup.  Myers has an UZR/150 of -57 in centerfield.  That alone is worth watching.