Royals vs. Blue Jays, Game 84 Game Thread

Riding high after winning three of four against the other team in Missouri, the Royals fell flat on their faces and have lost two series in a row to the lowly Phillies and the Blue Jays. The Royals have five games remaining to get themselves in a good spot before the All-Star break. They finish off the series against the Blue Jays tonight before heading home to start a four-game set against the Mariners.

Tonight's pitching matchup is Ian Kennedy vs. Marcus Stroman. Stroman is a young fireballer who made a quick comeback from tearing his ACL last year. Stroman is having a little more trouble with walks and dingers this year, but his ERA of 5.08 is way over his peripherals (which really aren't that great).

Kennedy's in roughly the opposite situation - his ERA is much lower than his peripherals. His fly ball tendencies have become ever stronger with Kauffman Stadium and the Royals defense behind him, but with those fly balls come lots of dingers.

Lineups. Meta:

#Royals' lineup: Gordon 7, Merrifield 4, Hoz 3, Perez 4, Cuthbert 5, Orlando 9, Eibner DH, Esky 6, Dyson 8

— Jeffrey Flanagan (@FlannyMLB) July 6, 2016

Here is the Royals' lineup -- and Flanny taking a photo of said lineup: pic.twitter.com/RcJQCxuRE4

— Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) July 6, 2016