Royals’ Volquez confronts Tanaka, Yankees
Masahiro Tanaka’s currently doing a bang-up job of leading the Yankees’ rotation. Unfortunately for fans of the pinstripes, the righty seems destined to run into a buzz saw in several hours.
New York and scalding-hot Kansas City meet again tonight, with an 8:15 p.m. ET first pitch at Kauffman Stadium. Yet oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv characterize Joe Girardi’s squad as a 1.5-run favorite. Conversely, the Royals represent +122 underdogs. The over/under run figure rests at 7.5.
On Monday, Ned Yost’s troops held on for an 8-5 triumph. In the process, they improved to an American League-best 20-7 in August. With 19 home games remaining, the defending World Series champions should have every opportunity to qualify for the playoffs again.
Realistically, the Yanks’ postseason aspirations ended a week or so ago. Tanaka, though, continues to throw as if he’s gunning for October glory. The staff ace owns a 6-2 record with a 2.70 ERA since July 5. His 1.07 WHIP trails only five hurlers in the junior circuit.
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Edinson Volquez can’t quite replicate those numbers right now. He’s failed to venture beyond the sixth inning in 19 of 27 appearances in 2016. Nonetheless, the 33-year-old is 6-3 with a 4.25 ERA at the K.
The Yankees’ 30-35 mark away from the Bronx definitely gives us pause in this spot. At the same time, we’re incapable of ignoring the visitors’ sizable edge on the mound. Expect Tanaka to momentarily slow down Kansas City, picking up his 37th career victory in the process.
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