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Being nine games under .500 is comforting, but the opportunity to ratchet that up to 10 games under presents itself this evening.
The foes? The White Sox.
Their pitcher? Mike Pelfrey.
A low-K, middle-of-the-road walk guy, Pelfrey has been a mediocre pitcher for a long time. Historically, the Royals have hit Pelfrey harder than every team by the A's, with a 136 tOPS+ against the Wichita native in nine starts. Of course, given the Royals' struggles on offense, it would be no surprise to see Pelfrey give them fits.
The Royals will trot out Nate Karns, whose early struggles have been worrisome. His O-Swing% has dropped while his Z-Swing% has risen. His peripherals suggest some bad luck has been involved, but he's still been not good.
These will be the White Sox:
Tonight's #SoxGameDay starters: pic.twitter.com/elsf65KILO
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 3, 2017
The Royals will look like this tonight:
The #Royals look to take control of the series as they take on the White Sox at The K. #RaisedRoyal pic.twitter.com/977jSXQSIA
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) May 3, 2017