The Kansas City Royals play host to the Chicago White Sox in the finale of their mid-week series on Thursday afternoon. Despite the separation in the standings, this has been a pretty wide open series this far, which hasn’t been great news for Chicago as they find themselves in the middle of a playoff push. For the Royals, playing the role of spoiler isn’t something new to this group. Given the playoff implications at stake, Thursdays action at Kauffman Stadium will be must-watch entertainment.
The White Sox are stuck in one of the most exciting races across baseball. Despite the needs for wins, the Royals have continued to give them trouble. Being on the road won’t help matters considering their struggles in that capacity too. With some crucial games coming up, this team will feel the pressure to shift momentum on Thursday afternoon, though it remains to be seen if that’ll be enough.
The White Sox have continued to get healthier and healthier, which has been a blessing for this group after navigating injuries for much of last season. Tim Anderson (finger/hand) is out through the month, while backup shortstop Danny Mendick (knee) is out as well, casting some doubt over the middle infield. Adding in injuries to three relievers also leaves some questions as the series winds down.
#WhiteSox pick up 3 and the lead!#Ch angeTheGame | @NBCSChicago pic.twitter.com/yhpcdtaV0s
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 11, 2022
According to MLB.com, Dylan Cease will get the ball for Chicago, as one of baseball's elite pitchers on the season looks to keep things going. The righty has been strong all season and brings a 12-4 record and 1.98 ERA into this one. Beyond that, he hasn't allowed more than a single earned run in any of his last ten starts and there's no reason to think he won't be able to keep things going in this one.
Even just a little bit of run support is likely all he needs and while this offense has struggled at times, they have seemed to turn the corner of late. They rank fifth in baseball ins strikeout rate and average, though ranking 20th in runs is troublesome. Being without Anderson (.301 average) hurts but their depth has been a positive all season. Over the last week though, the power has dropped off and with nobody hitting at or above .300, they'll need one of their stars to step up in this one.