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The Royals have now dropped nine in a row, recalling the halcyon days of far too frequent double-digit losing streaks rendering a fanbase not apoplectic but rather indifferent. Truly caring was a concept reserved for those for whom the last flickers of hope had yet to be extinguished. As the Royals close out April with the worst record in baseball, it seems as though they’re hurtling toward an irrelevance that’s all too familiar.
Of the aforementioned nine consecutive losses, three came at the hands of their opponents in this upcoming four-game set: the Chicago White Sox.
- Monday, May 1, 7:15 CDT - Dylan Covey vs. Jason Vargas (L)
- Tuesday, May 2, 7:15 CDT - José Quintana (L) vs. Danny Duffy (L)
- Wednesday, May 3, 7:15 CDT - Mike Pelfrey vs. Nate Karns
- Thursday, May 4, 1:15 CDT - Derek Holland (L) vs. Ian Kennedy
White Sox vs. Royals pitching matchups
Pitcher | G | IP | K | K% | BB | BB% | ERA | FIP | xFIP | SIERA | fWAR | rWAR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | G | IP | K | K% | BB | BB% | ERA | FIP | xFIP | SIERA | fWAR | rWAR |
Dylan Covey | 3 | 14.1 | 6 | 9.2 | 8 | 12.3 | 6.91 | 6.76 | 5.90 | 6.00 | -0.2 | -0.3 |
Jason Vargas (L) | 4 | 25.2 | 28 | 28.9 | 2 | 2.1 | 1.40 | 1.55 | 2.35 | 2.52 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
José Quintana (L) | 5 | 29.1 | 30 | 23.3 | 14 | 10.9 | 5.22 | 4.70 | 4.47 | 4.26 | 0.2 | -0.2 |
Danny Duffy (L) | 5 | 32.0 | 24 | 18.6 | 12 | 9.3 | 2.81 | 3.62 | 4.84 | 4.63 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
Mike Pelfrey | 2 | 9.0 | 3 | 7.0 | 5 | 11.6 | 5.00 | 5.77 | 6.74 | 6.50 | 0.0 | -0.2 |
Nate Karns | 5 | 23.0 | 19 | 19.2 | 9 | 9.1 | 6.26 | 6.04 | 4.10 | 4.02 | -0.3 | -0.2 |
Derek Holland (L) | 5 | 29.0 | 23 | 18.9 | 11 | 9 | 2.17 | 4.10 | 4.94 | 4.63 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
Ian Kennedy | 5 | 31.1 | 28 | 23.1 | 14 | 11.6 | 2.30 | 3.79 | 4.57 | 4.40 | 0.4 | 1.3 |
Even if the matchups look favorable for the Royals on the surface, Chicago’s hurlers have the luxury of facing the Royals’ weak offense.
White Sox position players
Player | Pos | PA | HR | R | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ | fWAR | rWAR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Pos | PA | HR | R | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ | fWAR | rWAR |
Avisaíl García | RF | 91 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 0 | .376 | .418 | .635 | .446 | 197 | 1.2 | 1.0 |
Matt Davidson | 3B/DH | 54 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 0 | .286 | .333 | .612 | .392 | 158 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
Leury García (S) | IF/OF | 57 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 2 | .296 | .316 | .500 | .345 | 124 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Omar Narvaez (L) | C | 39 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .273 | .385 | .303 | .318 | 105 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
Tyler Saladino | 2B | 76 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | .238 | .351 | .317 | .306 | 97 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
José Abreu | 1B | 86 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | .269 | .337 | .410 | .328 | 112 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
Geovany Soto | C | 32 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | .207 | .281 | .517 | .338 | 120 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
Todd Frazier | 3B/DH | 66 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 2 | .175 | .273 | .368 | .280 | 78 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
Yolmer Sánchez (S) | IF | 40 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .231 | .250 | .436 | .279 | 77 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
Tim Anderson | SS | 93 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 2 | .211 | .237 | .311 | .239 | 48 | -0.1 | 0.1 |
Melky Cabrera (S) | LF | 81 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 0 | .247 | .309 | .342 | .287 | 83 | -0.3 | 0.3 |
Jacob May (S) | OF | 36 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .033 | .147 | .033 | .108 | -46 | -0.6 | -0.6 |
Cody Asche (L) | OF | 42 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | .077 | .143 | .077 | .113 | -42 | -0.7 | -0.8 |
It is not news that these Southsiders are probably not particularly good. Sure, they sit atop the division, but this is hardly a squad of worldbeaters. Still, the Royals have been awful and will probably get smoked four more times by these gentle fellows.
All stats courtesy of FanGraphs and Baseball Reference.
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Poll
How will the Royals fare against the White Sox?
This poll is closed
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8%
Royals lose four of four
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10%
Royals get swept
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0%
Royals don’t win any games
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12%
Royals forfeit before the games even start
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67%
White Sox feel bad and let the Royals win one game