photo credit: (AP Photo/Nick Wass) AP
So the Yankees seem to be firing on all cylinders now. The pitchers are hot, the sluggers are even hotter, and the bullpen is one of the best in baseball. So now what?
They play Yankee baseball, of course.
New York Yankees (13-6, 1st AL East) @ Kansas City Royals (7-10, 2nd AL Central, 3GB)
The Yankees are set to hit the road this weekend for a series with the recently struggling Kansas City Royals. A team that not many people expected much from as-is, the Royals have had their highs and, recently, have their fair share of lows. One of their highs would be the emergence of top prospect Bobby Witt Jr. making the roster out of spring training and the return of Zack Greinke to Kansas City. Some lows would include two losing streaks of four games or more through the team’s first six series and the more recent loss of Adalberto Mondesi to a torn ACL, which is likely going to end his 2022 season. The loss of Mondesi hurts for the Royals, as he is considered a fan favorite while also being a long-tenured member of Kansas City, being a roster member since 2016. It would be safe to expect his presence within the clubhouse will be missed.
Where to watch and listen:
Friday
8:10 PM EST
Watch on: Apple TV +
Listen on: 101.9FM or 660AM
Saturday
7:10 PM
Watch on: YES Network
Listen on: 101.9FM or 660AM
Sunday
2:10 PM
Watch on: YES Network
Listen on: 101.9FM or 660AM
Historically speaking, there isn’t much history between the two clubhouses. Well, by baseball standards, at least. The Yankees have played the Royals very well over the last ten-plus years. The Yankees hold a franchise total record of 313-209 in the regular season with the Royals. On the road, the Yankees have a 139-120 record. In 2021 the Yanks would run a 4-2 record against the Royals and hold a record of 48-27 since 2010.
Keys to the series
The keys to the series are relatively simple. Keep the offense rolling, keep the bullpen fresh, and let the starters work their magic. A series that will show Nestor Cortes Jr on Friday, Gerrit Cole on Saturday, and Luis Severino Sunday can only mean that Yankee fans should expect tremendous pitching outings from their starters. Sprinkle in some Michael King and Clay Holmes, topped with some Miguel Castro and Aroldis Chapman, and you have the perfect recipe for the Yankees to extend their win streak to nine games and three consecutive sweeps. The bats need to remain hot as well. The long-awaited production from Joey Gallo is a tremendous leap forward for the Yankee offense, but he needs to continue to find other ways to produce other than just home runs. Yes, we all know Gallo is as pure of a power-hitting home run threat as they come, but even power threats like Giancarlo Stanton find ways to punch base hits through the gaps. Though I like what I’ve seen from Gallo the last few days, I’d like to see him produce even more. It is wonderful to see him trending in the right direction for the first time all season. The new MLB home run leader with eight homers, courtesy of his three home run night Tuesday against Baltimore, along with his 19 RBIs, put him third among the entire MLB, making him an immediate threat to Royals pitching. Anthony Rizzo is on another planet.
The Yankees must keep close attention to Royals Left-Fielder Andrew Benintendi. Through 17 games and 61 at-bats, Benny boasts a line of .393/.433/.492/.925. Though he isn’t mainly a “scoring threat,” his ten RBIs and 24 hits show that he can be a threat to Yankee pitching at any given time this series. It would be wise to approach catcher Salvador Perez with caution, both offensively and defensively. His team-leading five-homer runs and rocket-like arm may be enough to keep Yankee speedster Tim LoCastro at bay for the weekend. Look for the strikeout when pitching to him, as he also leads the Royals with 21 strikeouts.
This is going to be a fun series without question. Watching some young Royals talent take on some older Yankee vets will be a classic battle of Old vs. New and will put on quite the show for fans of both clubs.
Series prediction: Yankees 3-0
I pick this with a great deal of confidence based on KC pitching alone. Bubic coming in with a 14.14 ERA tells me that Stanton and Judge should have a field day with the left-hander. Hernandez isn’t much better with a 6.43, but the Yankees should still get to him quickly. The actual test will come in Daniel Lynch, who holds a 2-1 record this season with just a 3.38 ERA. So, the Yankee slugging should have no issues continuing their hot streak through the weekend.
