Ivan Nova (1-1, 5.14 ERA) and Chris Young (1-4, 5.76 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a four-game series between the New York Yankees (11-18) and the Kansas City Royals (15-15) at Yankee Stadium. Action begins at 7:05 p.m. ET on Monday, May. 9 and can be seen on FSKC and YES.
Nova pitched 1.2 innings in his most recent start, surrendering one run in an 8-7 defeat to the Red Sox. Starlin Castro (.296, 8 Rs, 3 HRs, 12 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. Young went 4.2 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out three and walking one in a 7-6 win over the Nationals in his last outing. Eric Hosmer (.336, 15 Rs, 5 HRs, 15 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs.
The odds for New York and Kansas City are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Yankees have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 0.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 0.0 runs per game. New York is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 23 bases. New York’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0. The Yankees are the top team in the AL at limiting walks to their opponents, allowing only 2.2 walks per game so far this season.
Offensively, the Royals have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. The Royals are an excellent base stealing team with 23 stolen bases, ranking third in the MLB. The Royals allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span. The Royals have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 6.9 strikeouts per road game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – NYY
Notes
For the third time this season, the Royals registered at least two errors in a game.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Yankees are going to have to step it up if they want to win this matchup. The Royals have a 5-1 record in games where opponents scored one run or less.
When they are outhit, the Yankees are 1-15. The Royals have a 3-9 record when opponents outhit them.
New York and Kansas City both rank near the bottom of the league in home runs. New York sits at 24th with 25 home runs this season and Kansas City ranks 28th with 23.
Ranking 26th, New York is near the bottom of the league in hits, notching 7.62 per game. Kansas City ranks in the top half at 12th with 8.47.
New York and Kansas City both rank near the bottom of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. New York sits at 28th with an OPS of .659, and Kansas City ranks 24th with an OPS of .681.
When the Royals allow at least one home run, they are 8-11. When the Yankees allow one or more homers, they have a 6-13 record.
