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Yankees vs. Royals, 7:40 ET

I opened one of my articles yesterday by talking about this matchup, but the play had nothing to do with it. I suppose I could've just waited a day, and I would've been able to talk about the topic. Basically, I called out Jazz Chisholm for getting butt-hurt about a tag being applied to him. Last night I didn't see any big story coming from the series, so maybe everything has settled down. Or, maybe in tonight's Yankees vs Royals matchup we will get a big explosion between the two clubs. 

This was a matchup from last year's postseason which is where part of this bad blood stems from. The Yankees won the series, but at least the Royals put up a fight. This year, the Yankees feel like they might be a better team than last year's squad that made the World Series. Although they lost one of the best young players in the game, the team gained in other ways. They have a better pitching staff this season, Aaron Judge somehow seems to be even better than he has ever been, and they've gotten boosts from some guys who had down years last year. Tonight, they send out Will Warren to the hill to keep this dream season going. Warren has been acceptable, but not great for the boys in pinstripes. He is 4-3 with a 5.34 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. On the road, he has struggled a bit with a 1-2 record and a 6.54 ERA. His appearances are kind of erratic, with some of them being five innings of one or two runs, and others being just a few innings of multiple runs allowed. He has never faced the Royals hitters, so he could have an edge. However, teams are hitting him better the first time through the lineup than they are the second time. 

May 31, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Will Warren (98) reacts in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Royals need to get themselves into gear if they want to compete for a Wild Card berth. The division isn't completely out of reach, but I do think they have a better shot at the Wild Card than having to battle the Tigers, Twins, and Guardians for the division. As of today, the Royals are just a .500 club at 34-34. That's a bit of a concern that they might be taking a step back this year. Their potential MVP candidate, Bobby Witt Jr., is fine, but not playing like a true difference maker. He is hitting .287 with eight homers and 37 RBIs. A guy that we banked on a lot last year, who hasn't been quite as reliable this year as well is Seth Lugo. He makes the start for the Royals today. He brings a 3-5 record with a 3.46 ERA and  1.17 WHIP. The numbers are there, but the dominance and consistent dominance from last season don't seem to be. In 11 starts this season, Lugo has six quality starts. He has allowed three or more earned runs in five of his starts. Still reliable, but not quite what he was producing last season. He faced the Yankees once this season and allowed four solo homers in 6.2 innings. Yankees hitters are batting .245 overall against him in 98 at-bats.

So far for the matchup between these two clubs, it has been all New York. They are 5-0 on the season and looking for the series sweep. I have been a Lugo backer for a long time now and still feel like he is a better pitcher than Warren. I lean to this game going over the total as Warren hasn't been great on the road, and this Yankees team can do damage to Lugo. I'm going to swing for the fence and say the Royals don't get swept for the season. Back Kansas City on the moneyline even though the line is being pushed hard toward New York. Just means a bigger payout for us.

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