Many people are on the fence with this game. On one hand, we have a hot Royals club facing a rookie pitcher on the road (where they have a 17-14 record) looking for back-to-back inter-league series wins. On the other hand, the Cardinals have the lineup that produce runs in a heartbeat.
My pick: Kansas City Royals +121
Chen's record is nothing to be impressed about, obviously, but in his past 3 games he has posted a 2-1 record (1-1 on the road), 3.18 ERA, and a 13:3 K/BB ratio. The most impressive stat for me is that in those three games, he is averaging 16.1 pitches per inning as opposed to 19.8 in his past six starts. Quick, efficient innings during a hot day game (90 degrees at first pitch) will be the success for this team.
Also, Chen has faced only half of the St. Louis lineup in the past, but they cannot seem to figure him out. Holliday, Furcal, Freese, and Molina are hitting a combined .091 against him. More than you can say about a rookie pitcher with only one start under his belt.
My prediction is Bruce goes 6.0+ IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K, and the Kansas City bullpen shuts them out the rest of the way. Royals take the second game 4-2.
Many people are on the fence with this game. On one hand, we have a hot Royals club facing a rookie pitcher on the road (where they have a 17-14 record) looking for back-to-back inter-league series wins. On the other hand, the Cardinals have the lineup that produce runs in a heartbeat.
My pick: Kansas City Royals +121
Chen's record is nothing to be impressed about, obviously, but in his past 3 games he has posted a 2-1 record (1-1 on the road), 3.18 ERA, and a 13:3 K/BB ratio. The most impressive stat for me is that in those three games, he is averaging 16.1 pitches per inning as opposed to 19.8 in his past six starts. Quick, efficient innings during a hot day game (90 degrees at first pitch) will be the success for this team.
Also, Chen has faced only half of the St. Louis lineup in the past, but they cannot seem to figure him out. Holliday, Furcal, Freese, and Molina are hitting a combined .091 against him. More than you can say about a rookie pitcher with only one start under his belt.
My prediction is Bruce goes 6.0+ IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K, and the Kansas City bullpen shuts them out the rest of the way. Royals take the second game 4-2.
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