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If it seems like the Royals just played these guys, it’s because they just played these guys. Previewing a series with just three days passing since playing the team last borders on being pointless, but here we are.
These are the game times and pitching matchups for this four-game set in New York.
- Monday, May 22, 6:05 PM CDT - Jason Vargas (L) vs. Michael Pineda
- Tuesday, May 23, 6:05 PM CDT - Danny Duffy (L) vs. Jordan Montgomery (L)
- Wednesday, May 24, 6:05 PM CDT - Jason Hammel vs. Luis Severino
- Thursday, May 25, 12:05 PM CDT - TBA vs. Masahiro Tanaka
Royals vs. Yankees 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 |
| Jason Vargas (L) | 8 | 48.2 | 43 | 22.5 | 10 | 5.2 | 2.03 | 2.49 | 3.97 | 3.82 | 1.6 | 2.0 |
| Michael Pineda | 8 | 47.1 | 55 | 28.8 | 8 | 4.2 | 3.42 | 4.10 | 2.79 | 2.83 | 0.6 | 1.0 |
| Danny Duffy (L) | 9 | 57.2 | 45 | 19.1 | 19 | 8.1 | 2.97 | 3.08 | 4.45 | 4.48 | 1.5 | 1.8 |
| Jordan Montgomery (L) | 7 | 39.1 | 37 | 21.9 | 18 | 10.7 | 4.81 | 3.94 | 4.81 | 4.53 | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| Jason Hammel | 8 | 40.2 | 31 | 16.1 | 17 | 8.8 | 6.20 | 4.92 | 5.54 | 5.05 | 0.2 | -0.4 |
| Luis Severino | 8 | 47.0 | 54 | 28 | 13 | 6.7 | 3.64 | 3.58 | 2.87 | 3.13 | 0.9 | 1.1 |
| TBA | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Masahiro Tanaka | 9 | 48.0 | 39 | 17.8 | 15 | 6.9 | 6.56 | 6.07 | 4.42 | 4.31 | -0.2 | -0.5 |
Thursday’s slot remains open for the Royals at the time that this was written with smart money on either Nate Karns or Ian Kennedy making the start. The matchups Monday and Tuesday are reprises of the starting pitching matchups from this past Tuesday and Wednesday. Jason Vargas has to be hoping that his luck is better this next time around. The Royals will get their first looks this season at Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka. Severino has unexpectedly been the Yankees’ best pitcher after a wildly disappointing sophomore campaign in 2016. Tanaka has been a complete disaster. His HR/FB% is off the charts, having allowed 13 dongs in just 48 innings. His strikeouts are down, and his walks are up. It’s hard to say why he’s flailing (his SIERA and xFIP are both markedly better than his 6.00-plus FIP and ERA), but he’s flailing nonetheless.
Yankees 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 |
| Aaron Judge | RF | 160 | 15 | 35 | 30 | 4 | .331 | .431 | .728 | .476 | 209 | 2.4 | 2.9 |
| Aaron Hicks | OF | 119 | 7 | 23 | 19 | 6 | .301 | .441 | .570 | .431 | 177 | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| Brett Gardner | LF | 161 | 7 | 30 | 16 | 5 | .275 | .369 | .493 | .371 | 136 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| Starlin Castro | 2B | 175 | 7 | 31 | 27 | 0 | .349 | .383 | .536 | .394 | 152 | 1.2 | 1.5 |
| Jacoby Ellsbury | CF | 144 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 8 | .286 | .357 | .429 | .345 | 118 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| Matt Holliday | DH | 146 | 8 | 17 | 27 | 1 | .266 | .370 | .508 | .377 | 140 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| Chase Headley | 3B | 157 | 3 | 22 | 20 | 5 | .248 | .325 | .397 | .317 | 98 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Didi Gregorius | SS | 89 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 1 | .289 | .326 | .373 | .306 | 91 | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Gary Sánchez | C | 76 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 0 | .303 | .395 | .500 | .389 | 148 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| Ronald Torreyes | IF | 93 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 0 | .286 | .293 | .374 | .289 | 79 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Chris Carter | 1B | 91 | 2 | 10 | 11 | 0 | .213 | .297 | .338 | .282 | 74 | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| Austin Romine | C | 79 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 0 | .247 | .278 | .356 | .274 | 69 | -0.1 | 0.3 |
The Yankees’ position players are still the best unit in baseball worth more combined fWAR and owning a better wRC+ than any other team in baseball. Aaron Judge? Still really good. Brett Gardner and Aaron Hicks and Jacoby Ellsbury are still playing well. This could be a long week.
All stats courtesy of FanGraphs and Baseball Reference through action on Wednesday, May 17.
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Poll
How will the Royals fare in Yankee Stadium III?
This poll is closed
-
9%
Royals sweep
(19 votes) -
5%
Royals take three of four
(11 votes) -
22%
Split the series two games apiece
(43 votes) -
41%
Yankees take three of four
(80 votes) -
19%
Yankees sweep
(38 votes)