It has been a bit of a roller coaster season for the Cubbies. They got off to a great start, winning 19 of their first 31 games. But by mid-June they were at .500 and barely treading water. Now they’re playing well again, winning 13 of 20 since the All-Star break, and they have a six-game lead for the top Wild Card spot.
Chicago Cubs (67-49) at Kansas City Royals (48-68) at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Cubs: 5.13 runs scored/game (2nd in MLB), 4.27 runs allowed/game (10th)
Royals: 4.14 runs scored/game
(27th), 5.03 runs allowed/game (27th)
Pete Crow-Armstrong is having an MVP-type season, and will likely reach the 30 HR/30 SB mark for the second year in a row. Sammy Sosa is the only other player in Cubs history to enjoy a 30/30 season. Alex Bregman is a .238/.364/.384 hitter in 42 career games against the Royals. Nico Hoerner is batting .388/.402/.538 with three home runs in his last 20 games. Carson Kelly is hitting .333/.426/.559 against lefties this year. Ian Happ is batting just .202/.298/.375 in road games.
The Royals will start Daniel Lynch IV for the first time today, and will give him a chance to be a starter down the stretch. The Cubs have not yet announced starters for Friday or Saturday, but Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes are likely to make their debut with the team after being acquired at the trade deadline. Gausman was 1-6 with a 6.47 ERA in his last eight starts with the Blue Jays. He has a 2.81 ERA in three career starts at Kauffman Stadium.
Clay Holmes has been out since mid-May with a fibula injury, but is expected to return this weekend against the Royals. He was acquired at the trade deadline from the Mets after a 2.1 rWAR season last year as a starting pitcher. He faced the Royals in the 2024 ALDS as a Yankees reliever.
The Cubs have had difficulty keeping pitchers healthy – they have 14 pitchers on the Injured List. They have a 3.87 ERA from their relievers, 11th-lowest in the league. The Cubs picked up Braxton Garrett from the Marlins and former Kansas Jayhawk pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn from the Angels at the trade deadline.
The Cubs are playing very well and fighting for postseason positions, while the Royals are throwing spaghetti against a wall to see what sticks. The Royals do have Bobby Witt Jr. back, which gives them a chance to beat anyone, but their hodgepodge collection of pitchers will need to keep a solid Cubbies lineup in check.
