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Griffin Wong gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight\u2019s game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Kansas City Royals.<\/p>\n
The battle for the final Wild Card spot in the American League has gone back and forth all season, and entering the home stretch of the season, it\u2019s a fairly tight battle: the Seattle Mariners hold pole position, with the Texas Rangers 1.5 games back and the Kansas City Royals (2.5 games behind Seattle) in close pursuit. Kansas City has a chance to close that gap as it begins a three-game home series against the Los Angeles Angels tonight.<\/p>\n
The series will begin with a 7:40 p.m. ET first pitch tonight at Kauffman Stadium. Michael Lorenzen will get the start for the Royals, while Mitch Farris is set to make his MLB debut for the Angels.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s break down this matchup with some odds and lines at DraftKings Sportsbook<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Kansas City did just enough at the trade deadline to keep itself in the playoff fight, acquiring Randal Grichuk, Mike Yastrzemski, Ryan Bergert, and Stephen Kolek, and despite optioning Kolek to Triple-A, the acquistions have played well. Bergert has pitched to a 2.54 ERA in his five starts, Kolek was excellent in his one start, and Yastrzemski has recorded a .976 OPS as the Royals have gone 16-12. Los Angeles, meanwhile, had a miserable month, recording a 5.22 ERA and going just 11-16. The Angels\u2019 bullpen acquisitions, Andrew Chafin and Luis Garc\u00eda, have been good, but both the rotation and the offense have collapsed.<\/p>\n Lots of future stars have had strong MLB debuts this season, from the Milwaukee Brewers\u2019 Jacob Misiorowski to the New York Mets\u2019 Nolan McLean to the the Boston Red Sox\u2019s Payton Tolle, so there\u2019s a pathway for Farris to be successful right from the jump. But unlike Misiorowski, McLean, and Tolle, who had all made at least two starts at the Triple-A level and been successful, Farris is making the jump straight from Double-A, where he has posted just a 4.27 ERA this season. To be fair, he\u2019s been solid in his last seven appearances, allowing 12 earned runs across 40.2 innings and striking out 50, but Kansas City isn\u2019t the Columbus Clingstones. In fact, the Royals have struck out at the league\u2019s second-lowest rate, and if Farris isn\u2019t striking batters out, he has too many unpolished tools to be ready.<\/p>\n Of course, Lorenzen isn\u2019t exactly a model of consistency. The veteran produced among the finest starts of his career on July 6, allowing just two hits in seven shutout innings, but he went on the Injured List immediately afterwards with a left oblique strain. Since his return, he\u2019s been mediocre, allowing seven earned runs on 19 hits in 13.1 innings pitched, and it\u2019s not like either of his rehab starts with Double-A Northwest Arkansas were impressive, either. This season, Lorenzen ranks in just the 14th percentile in pitching run value and the 28th percentile in whiff rate, and he\u2019s arguably gotten lucky that his fastball hasn\u2019t resulted in more<\/em> damage. <\/p>\nLos Angeles Angels at Kansas City Royals prediction, preview<\/h2>\n
Los Angeles Angels at Kansas City Royals pick, best bet<\/h2>\n
Best Bet: Over 9 (-109)<\/a><\/h3>\n