Game 117 Thread: Astros vs. Royals

Ok, so, here’s the thing: the 2021 Royals season is effectively over. It looks like Adalberto Mondesi isn’t coming back. Bobby Witt Jr. and the cabal of young hitters in Triple-A probably won’t get called up this year due to a combination of the changes to the September roster expansion rules (28 vs the 40 in years past) as well as a looming 40-man roster crunch and a looming collective bargaining agreement fight.

And yet, the Royals lineup is exceedingly boring. There isn’t a single player younger than 25, and yes, that includes Emmanuel Rivera. Edward Olivares isn’t up, and neither is Kyle Isbel. Furthermore, the Houston Astros are one of the best teams in baseball, trash cans or no, and the Royals are simply not likely to win any of these games.

In other words, there is precisely one Royals-related reason to watch tonight’s game, which is to see Carlos Hernandez pitch. Hernandez has been truly excellent over his previous three starts, and he is a young gun in a rotation that is full of them. Hernandez turning into a legit starter would be a huge boon for the Royals, who will need a lot of them to return to relevancy.

Well, you can also watch the game if you just want to watch some baseball, because that’s what this game will definitely deliver. No harm in that.

Astros lineup

Royals lineup