Gamethread C (100) - Royals at Yankees

If you’re the kind of person who is averse to Royals losses but still keeps trying to watch games this season, you might want to skip this one.

Kansas City will send Brady Singer out to the mound, today. Once believed to have broken out as a star in 2022 the right-hander still refuses to truly implement a third pitch of any sort into his arsenal. Unfortunately, were his season to end today, he would set career-worst marks in a variety of rate stats as well as counting statistics. His ERA and FIP are high as they’ve ever been. He’s striking out fewer and walking more batters. His barrel rate allowed has gone up every season he’s been in the league, and this year is no exception. He’s already allowed almost as many hard-hit balls this year as he allowed all of last year.

You could argue he’s been a bit unlucky - there is almost a run-and-a-half difference between his ERA and his FIP, but even if they were closer together, he’d still be pitching about as poorly as he ever had. He’s going to be arbitration eligible next season and the Royals need to start seeing results soon or he could find himself looking for a new club. He had an excellent start marred by being allowed to pitch in the eighth inning last time out, but even if he pitches well today he hasn’t been able to string more than two positive starts in a row.

On the other hand, the Yankees will be starting their ace, Gerrit Cole. Cole has a 2.78 ERA on the season so far and while his strikeouts are down, so too are his home runs. At 32-years-old the right-hander does not appear to be slowing down appreciably. He’s 4-1 with a 2.76 ERA against the Royals in seven career starts, so don’t look for him to falter now.

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