Nationals vs. Royals: Analyzing Key Pitchers and Game Odds

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00:00Let's take it across to Nationals Park, the Washington Nationals playing host to the Kansas

00:08City Royals.

00:09I feel like I've been hyping up the Royals for the last couple of hours, Donnie.

00:12This is going to be my team to watch out of the American League.

00:15They're two games clear of holding that third wildcard spot.

00:18They're booked as your favorites in this one, minus 118, and they get Michael Lorenzen out

00:23there on the hill.

00:24It's DJ Hurwitz who gets the start for the Nats.

00:27Hasn't been fantastic, so the starting edge has to go to the Royals.

00:31It's interesting that you say that, because you're right, DJ Hurwitz has been a decent

00:35pitcher over the past, let's just say, two to three months, being a young pitcher in

00:37Major League Baseball.

00:38Did struggle in his last start, but get this, again, I have 26 pitchers ranked on my card

00:44over the last 60 days, once again, with a minimum of 20 innings pitched.

00:48The guy that's dead last on my card, it's Michael Lorenzen of the Kansas City Royals.

00:53You look at his ERA, which is actually decent at 3.10, but the analytical numbers, a 5.24

00:58XFIP number could be dangerous.

01:01But as you saw last night, you know who was dead at the plate?

01:03I mean, the Royals, technically, they got the one run, but they won, but the shutout

01:07went to the Washington Nationals.

01:08That's not good enough.

01:09One team must win, so all hands on deck.

01:11The reason I bring that up is, you can't afford any losses if you're Kansas City, right?

01:16So if Michael Lorenzen hasn't been all that great, you expect him maybe to struggle a

01:19little bit, and he gets into trouble dubs in the third inning, even if you only give

01:22up one run, and you're down in that game, they'll pull him to get to the bullpen.

01:26So it's one of those games where you're betting on the Kansas City Royals needing this victory

01:30against a team that's already dead in the water.

01:31But I think the better team, excuse me, the better pitcher, not the better team, is with

01:36the Nationals tonight with hers.