Kansas City Royals vs. New York Yankees.
The Kansas City Royals will enter play on Friday night, representing a record of 28-70.
That is the second-worst record in baseball, as only the Oakland Athletics are worse.
It has been an uphill battle for the Royals since April.
This team was slated to struggle entering the season, but things have gone worse than expected.
Kansas City is the second-worst-scoring offense in baseball, averaging just 3.74 runs per game.
Only the Oakland Athletics are worse (3.60 runs per game).
Veteran catcher Salvador Perez leads the team in batting average at .255.
Perez has been a staple in the Royals organization over the years and was a vital part of the world series team back in 2015.
Bobby Witt Jr is the future of this Royals team. He delivered an outstanding rookie season and leads the team in home runs (16) and RBI this year (51). Additionally, he is also one of the best base stealers in the game and has swiped twenty-seven bags this year.
The offense has been bad for Kansas City, but the pitching has been just as poor. The Royals rank 28th in baseball in team ERA (5.24)
The Royals will send twenty-five-year-old right-hander Alec Marsh to the mound. Unfortunately, Marsh has had a rough go of things thus far.
Marsh represents a record of 0-3 with an ERA of 5.40. The Yankees will begin play on Friday night in the basement of the AL East.
New York has lost four games in a row and five of their last six. The Yankees have scored just seven runs over the last three games.
New York fired their hitting coach at the all-star break and brought in former big leaguer Sean Casey. The move has not been effective thus far, as the offense only looks worse in the second half.
Aaron Judge remains out of the lineup. Since Judge has hit the DL, things have gone south for New York.
Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton are two veterans that have severely underperformed this season.
New York was high on young players Anthony Volpe and Oswaldo Cabrera.
- Volpe is batting just .205 on the year.
- Cabrera is batting just .208.
The Yankees will need to turn things around in a hurry if they want to have an opportunity to play baseball into the fall.
The only reason that the Yankees are still three games above .500 is their pitching.
New York represents the number one bullpen in all of baseball. Their starting pitching, headlined by Gerrit Cole, has been strong from the jump.
The Yankees will send Georgia-born right-hander Clarke Schmidt to the mound.
- Schmidt is 5-6 on the season with an ERA of 4.31.
Pick: New York Yankees -1 -155
This feels like the perfect get-right spot for the Yankees.
While I still believe that the Yankees will not make the playoffs, they should be able to beat up on one of the worst teams in baseball at home.
The Yankee's offense should have its way tonight vs. Marsh. Marsh has gotten knocked around early in his first three starts. The Yankee's offense is due for a coming-out party, and the numbers suggest they will tonight.
Kansas City is the worst road offense in baseball, averaging just 3.28 runs per game on the road.
Luckily for us, Schmidt has pitched much better at home this season. Schmidt represents an ERA of 3.93 in New York compared to 4.85 on the road.
The numbers point to the Yankees tonight.
Ride with me on Draftkings! Where you can get up to $1,000 in DK Dollars when you sign up for a new account. Simply click below to learn more and start betting today!
San Diego Padres vs. Detroit Tigers
The San Diego Padres enter play with an overall record of 46-51. The Padres have been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball this season. On paper, few teams are more talented than the Padres.
Unfortunately for the Padres, their talent has not translated to the field.
Ferando Tatis Jr leads the team in hitting with an average of .286. He began the year suspended for PED use, but since returning, he has put up stellar numbers.
Manny Machado inked a contract extension with the Padres in the off-season. He leads the team in home runs with eighteen.
Xander Bogaerts was the Padres' big off-season signing. Unfortunately, he has underperformed thus far, hitting .261 on the season with eleven home runs and thirty-six runs batted in.
There are a lot of question marks about what the Padres will do at the trade deadline. This team is too talented to sell the farm at the deadline, but trading star outfielder Juan Soto is a real possibility.
San Diego will send veteran right-hander Seth Lugo to the bump tonight.
On the other side, the Tigers have had a tough go of things this season.
Detroit enters play playing to the tune of a 44-52 record. The season started strong for the Tigers, but the last two months have been a real struggle.
- Riley Greene leads the team in batting average (.300)
- Spencer Torkelson leads the Tigers in hits with eighty-seven.
- Javier Baez was a key signing for the Tigers two years ago.
The Tigers rank 28th in baseball in runs per game (3.93)
Tonight Detroit will send twenty-three-year-old right-hander Reese Olson to the bump. Olson is 1-3 with an ERA of 3.96.
Pick: San Diego Padres ML -140 (DraftKings)
Olson has struggled to pitch in Detroit this season, sporting an ERA of 4.57 at home compared to 3.18 on the road.
San Diego has swung the bats better on the road this season than at home. The Padres average 4.88 runs per game on the road compared to 4.11 at home.
This lineup should be in a solid bounce-back spot tonight, facing the young right-hander. Seth Lugo has better numbers away from San Diego this year.
Lugo represents an ERA of 3.43 on the road compared to 4.25 at home. Lugo should have success vs. a bad Tigers lineup tonight.
You can tail the Padres moneyline on DraftKings, where you can get up to $1,000 in DK Dollars when you sign up for a new account. Simply click below to learn more and start betting today!
