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Update: 7:45pm central start time.
The second game of the two-game series takes place after an extra-inning affair last evening with plenty of controversy and intrigue and sacrifice bunts. The Royals will go for the "sweep" as well as their fifth win in a row before heading out to Boston for a four-game set against the Red Sox.
Jeremy Guthrie starts for the Royals tonight. I hope he is more Houdini than Gob Bluth tonight. The Great American Ballpark is not the type of place for Guthrie, whose low-strikeout, below-average-to-average-ish-walk rate, high fly ball, high-ish home run rate ways are not a fit for the place.
Keyvius Sampson starts for the Reds. He's a rookie with control problems. The lowest walk rate of his career after 2009, when he first joined minor league baseball, came in 2013 for the Padres' AA club. He had an 8 percent walk rate, which would still be slightly above average if that were his rate in the major leagues today.
Ned Yost is hitting Guthrie 8th in the lineup. This thought process is gaining traction - have a better hitter hit 9th before going back to the top of the order when you are playing in the National League. Some say it's like having two leadoff hitters. I don't know about that. Whatever; I think it's cool.
Lineups:
Tonight’s #Royals lineup vs the Reds at 6:10 CT on @FSKansasCity, @MLBTV & @610SportsKC. http://t.co/hrTOwQ0V89 pic.twitter.com/hOal5pXBBS
— Royals (@Royals) August 19, 2015
August 19 #Reds lineup vs. Royals pic.twitter.com/sH4z6iNjCy
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 19, 2015