Royals vs Phillies Showdown at Kauffman Stadium Preview
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00:00All right.
00:03Nine and a half the total tonight.
00:05Got to get ready for tomorrow, baby.
00:08Nine and a half the win total tonight inside Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City
00:12as the Royals get ready to host the Phillies for a weekend set.
00:16Minus 138, Kansas City a home favorite.
00:19Michael Walker will get the start.
00:20Tywane Walker back for the Philadelphia Phillies on the other side.
00:25Walker.
00:27Anyway, Tywane Walker gets the start tonight in Kansas City.
00:31What do you like in this Midwest matchup?
00:34Hopefully the Phillies do bounce back,
00:36but when you're just leaning on hope at this point,
00:38that's not the greatest handicapping technique
00:40because you take a look at that Kansas City Royals lineup.
00:42They're in full season swing.
00:44They don't strike out a lot here, and they dominate right-handed pitching.
00:47Over the past 30 days, they have done that.
00:49Tywane Walker has only faced 39 batters since coming off that IL stint.
00:52He's been bad.
00:53ISO power number is high.
00:54Doesn't strike out enough guys.
00:56Walking too many.
00:57That's not a recipe for success when you're looking for a win
00:59against a quality Kansas City Royals team on the road.
01:02But if we are focused on the Philadelphia Phillies on their side of things,
01:05Michael Walker hasn't been a great pitcher over the past 30 days.
01:08His last 60 or so batters he's faced, Ben.
01:10To the right, he's a 260 ISO and a weighted-on-base percentage of 388,
01:14but he has been very good against left-handed batters
01:16over his past 65 batters he's faced.
01:19Kyle Schwarber's got really nice numbers here
01:21against right-handed pitching over the past month.
01:23High ISO, high weighted-on-base percentage,
01:25and nobody else really can compare to him.
01:27You take a look at Castellanos.
01:28Average at best.
01:29Bryce Harper, 248 weighted-on-base percentage.
01:31Trey Turner, 221.
01:33Scott, 276.
01:34Marsh, 222.
01:35It's hard for me to say, and again,
01:37handicapping is supposed to be on a day-to-day basis,
01:40but it's not Aronola or Zach Wheeler on the mound.
01:42It's Tywane Walker.
01:43So if I don't expect greatness on the mound,
01:45can I really expect the Phillies to roll up into Kansas City?
01:48Hey, man, seven runs on the board, 7-5 victory.
01:51I don't expect it.
01:52So you look at that favorite here.
01:53It's Kansas City with Walker on the mound against the Phillies,
01:57and that's the way it should be.
01:58I think Kansas City beats the Phillies.
01:59Until they show me something at the plate,
02:01five hits and two runs, that's not getting it done tonight.
02:05Again, 12-19 since the All-Star break.
02:08The Phillies entered the series finale yesterday,
02:10and Atlanta, winners of five of their last seven,
02:13not the result they are looking for.
02:15Still a six-game advantage in the National League East.
02:18That not so much in peril,
02:20but losing ground in the National League in the overall standings,
02:23playoff positioning, that could be at stake this weekend in KC.
02:27The Royals have won six of their last seven.
02:30Kansas City and Minnesota DRS, both 71 and 56,
02:34now only trailing the Guardians atop the American League Central
02:37by two games.
02:39Both the Royals and the Twins then, again, same exact mark,
02:42three-and-a-half game lead for those final two AL wildcard spots
02:46over the Boston Red Sox.
02:48KC, minus 295 to be an American League playoff team.
02:51Minnesota, minus 1450 to see the postseason.