Game 161 Open Thread - Cleveland Indians (92-67) vs. Kansas City Royals (81-79)

The Royals have never in their history finished at exactly .500, and if they win one of their remaining two games this year, they will avoid that symbol of mediocrity once again. A win gives them the 22nd winning seasons in 48 years of Royals baseball, fairly impressive considering the awful stretch they had for nearly two decades.

Trevor Bauer goes for the Indians today. When not joking around with boxing gloves, or arguing with Royals fans on Twitter, he has handled the Royals well with a 3.41 ERA in six career starts. Edinson Volquez goes for Kansas City in what may very well be hist last start in a Royals uniform. Volquez has an $10 million mutual option with a $3 million buyout, but with his second-half swoon, the Royals may be less enthusiastic about bringing him back. In his last 12 starts, "Steady Eddie" has a 7.05 ERA and opposing hitters are hitting .333/.394/.550.

Remember, today's game is on FS1, not Fox Sports Kansas City. Its Fan Appreciation Day, so fans should appreciate these lineups.

The 9's pic.twitter.com/OMapC3NFIQ

— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) October 1, 2016