This One Should Have Less Comedy - Game Preview & Lineups 5/20

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Last night was a rare occurrence. The starter gave up 6 runs in just 4 innings of work and somehow the team emerged victorious. Help from the opposing pitcher is necessary for this of course. Tonight that help is unlikely to come. Royals fans have come to look forward to Yordano Ventura outings much the same as White Sox fans do with Chris Sale. They don’t win every time he steps out but there’s always strikeouts. Lots of strikeouts.

Ventura has been striking out over 26% of the batters he faces but he isn’t consistently doing so economically. He’s thrown between 90 and 115 pitches in every outing and averages about 6 innings worked for each. This is where the patience of the new 2014 Chicago offense really pays off, and makes me glad that Adam Eaton is back at the top of the lineup.

The Sox are sending Andre Rienzo out to the mound to face off against Ventura. Rienzo has managed to be decent nearly every time out. Seeming to teeter on the brink of annihilation he’s shown a knack for avoiding the huge inning despite its constant threat. It’s a tightrope act, and even the most experienced walker stumbles at some point (I assume, I have no experience in this matter).

One might consider Monday’s win a stolen one. Though the Royals did help out as they matched the White Sox comedic folly for comedic folly, the power of Alexei Ramirez, Dayan Viciedo, and Paul Konerko ultimately fueled the victory. It might be a bit much to expect Konerko to put together a timely hot streak while Abreu is out, but last night showed that he’s not altogether finished. Maybe he’s got a nice stretch left in him to fill in the Oso-shaped void.

Today’s Lineup:                                                            

  1. Eaton – CF
  2. Beckham – 2B
  3. Gillaspie – 3B
  4. Viciedo - RF
  5. Dunn – 1B
  6. Ramirez - SS
  7. Konerko – DH
  8. De Aza - LF
  9. Flowers – C

Andre Rienzo - SP

Royals Lineup:

  1. Aoki - RF
  2. Escobar – SS
  3. Hosmer – 1B
  4. Butler – DH
  5. Gordon – LF
  6. Cain – CF
  7. Valencia – 3B
  8. Ciriaco – 2B
  9. Hayes - C

Yordano Ventura - SP

Where to Watch:

Today’s game will be broadcast on CSN and FoxSports KC.  7:10 Central start time.