Game One Hundred and Forty-Seven: Kansas City Royals at New York Yankees

One more win to lock in a .500 season.

The American League team that plays in New York will take on Kansas City’s only MLB team this evening at Yankee Stadium with the series on the line. After a bullpen implosion gave New York a win in the opener, Seth Lugo threw a gem to even the series for the Royals.

Cole Ragans starts for Kansas City. You don’t need me to tell you that Ragans is a very good pitcher. He throws hard with a nasty changeup and, despite the presence of one Aaron Judge, the Yankees as a whole have been considerably weaker against lefties than right-handed pitchers this season. Buckle up. Ragans has never faced the Yankees as a starter.

The Yankees counter with Luis Gil. Gil was tracking like the AL Rookie of the Year early on this season, but he has since slowed down, posting a 4.41 ERA and 4.50 FIP in 14 starts since the beginning of June. He throws an upper-90s fastball half the time with a slider and changeup that he uses about equally. He’s tough to hit when he’s throwing strikes but he tends to be rather wild. Gil has never faced the Royals.

First pitch: 6:05 pm CDT

Royals lineup

Yankees lineup