Gamethread CXIII - Royals at Phillies

The Royals play the Phillies today in a deciding match for the series between the two teams. You can tell the Royals really want to win it because Bobby Witt Jr. is sitting. At least Freddy Fermin slots in as the designated hitter in the four-hole.

Zack Greinke will take the mound, today. The season has not been kind to him. Don’t look here for a silver lining, either. He has a 5.32 ERA with a 5.04 FIP for the season, but his ERA since June is 6.90 with a 6.04 FIP. His best start of that stretch was his appearance during the winning streak in which he pitched five innings and allowed only a single run to the Mets on Tuesday night.

Taijuan Walker will go for the Phillies. In contrast, he hasn’t had a truly atrocious outing since May. Over that period he’s had several excellent starts. He has only made three starts against Kansas City in his decade-plus career, and he’s never walked away with a win for himself, though he’s pitched adequately every time out. That might be enough considering how poorly Greinke has pitched this season.

Lineups