There was a rematch of the 2014 World Series earlier this year with the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals splitting a two-game series in Missouri. Now, they’ll meet up again in San Francisco for another two-game set. Both teams have really fallen off since their World Series showdown, each positioned to be sellers at the deadline.
This series will be contested from Tuesday, June 13, 2017 through Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at AT&T Park in San Francisco.
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Pitching Matchups
The brief two-game set will feature a battle of southpaws on Tuesday before the righties take to the mound to close out the series on Wednesday.
In Tuesday’s showdown, Jason Vargas will toe the rubber and face-off against the young Giants’ lefty Tyl Blach.
Vargas has been one of the brightest spots for what has otherwise been a disappointing season for the Royals.
The veteran has made a huge comeback after making only 12 starts over the last two years. He’s 8-3 with a 2.18 ERA and 1.117 WHIP in 74.1 innings. He’s become the de facto ace now that Danny Duffy is on the shelf.
Vargas has given up two runs or fewer in nine of his 12 starts and has allowed no more than a single run seven times, shutting out the opposition in five starts, including a complete-game shutout on June 2 against the Indians. The lefty has really had only one bad outing, giving up six runs in four innings on May 17. Otherwise, Vargas has kept the Royals in the game, even with little or no support. The team’s 8-4 mark with him on the hill is a testament to that.
As for Blach, he’s in the rotation in place of Madison Bumgarner. He’s a considerable downgrade from him, but he’s been the team’s best starter since he went down.
Blach is 4-3 with a 3.64 Era and 1.150 WHIP in his 64.1innings. He’s made nine starts and 16 appearances. He’s already delivered a complete game shutout. The most interesting aspect of his performance is his lack of strikeouts. He’s only Ked 26 batters, but has also been good at avoiding walks and keeping the ball in the park, giving up 1.8 walks per nine innings and just five total home runs.
On Wednesday, the Giants will look to Johnny Cueto to deliver a win against the Royals’ Jason Hammel.
Cueto was the NL’s All-Star game starter last year, but he’s been mediocre in 2017. He’s 5-5 with a 4.33 ERA and 1.284 WHIP. His ERA+ is just 95 and while he’s providing innings and strikeouts, he’s also been far more hittable than in years past.
The right-hander is a former Royal himself, helping the team win it all in 2015. His performance for them was spotty as well.
Cueto hasn’t dominated, but he’s at least been okay. Hammel has not. He’s 2-6 with a 5.43 ERA. His walks and hits are up. His last two starts have been better, delivering a quality start in each. He even held the Astros to a single run his last time out. Perhaps he is turning the corner. He has been known to be a streaky pitcher and go on runs of quality outings in the past, but he’s typically more of a first-half pitcher than a second-half starter so kicking it into gear later in the year is a bit out of character for the 34-year old.
Who's Hot?
Both the Giants and Royals have seen their bats heat up over here in June. Kansas City is fourth in baseball this month with 59 runs scored in 10 games, San Francisco is just three runs off their pace in as many games.
Lorenzo Cain is amongst the hottest bats in baseball right now. He’s hitting .308 in June with four home runs and 10 RBIs. Mike Moustakas is hitting even better, batting .395 with four bombs and four doubles. He has 12 RBIs. The third pending free agent, Eric Hosmer, is batting .366 in the month.
The Giants aren’t getting nearly as much power this month as the Royals, but have scored pretty well nonetheless. Joe Panik is swinging a hot stick; as is Eduardo Nunez. The two are batting .346 and .386 respectively and are setting the table well for Buster Posey whose hot bat just keeps rolling. Posey leads the Giants with 10 RBIs in June.
Who's Not?
While the Royals bats are generally hitting pretty well right now, there are a few exceptions. Alcides Escobar has had a terrible year and is hitting .150 this month. Brandon Moss is batting .158 so being substituted for the pitchers spot in the NL Park shouldn’t have that much of a detrimental impact on KC’s ability to score.
The Giants are still waiting for Brandon Crawford’s bat to reappear. The shortstop has been nearly invisible since his DL stint. He’s now hitting .188 in June with nine strikeouts in 34 at bats.
Hunter Pence is really slumping right now, too. He’s typically a catalyst for this team, but hasn’t done anything all year. That’s the real issue behind the Giants’ offensive struggles.
The issues for Sam Dyson continue. He’s now on the Giants and gave up a pair of runs without recording an out in his first appearance. Fortunately for San Fran, the rest of the pen has been pretty solid.
The Royals pen has struggled in June. That’s not something Ned Yost is used to dealing with, but Kevim Herrera has allowed six runs on six hits, including a pair of homers, spread over his last four games, totaling 3.1 innings. Joakim Soria has allowed three runs over his last five appearances.
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