The Kansas City Royals host the Oakland Athletics Tuesday night in the American League Wild Card Game (8:07 p.m. ET, TBS). The winner advances to face the Los Angeles Angels in the American League Division Series, starting Thursday.
The marquee matchup pits Royals ace James Shields against A's ace Jon Lester. Who has the edge? Let's break it down:
American League Wild Card Option :
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The Royals and A's were the bottom two teams in September run scoring among the 10 that qualified for the postseason, so we shouldn't expect a 10-9 game Tuesday night.
As has been discussed at length, the A's lost their offensive identity when they dealt Yoenis Cespedes to Boston in the Jon Lester trade. But the ineffectiveness of catalyst Coco Crisp has been an equally significant factor; Crisp has an on-base percentage of just .272 since the All-Star break. Derek Norris and Brandon Moss have regressed in the second half, as well.
The Royals still lack middle-of-the-lineup thunder, but they've benefited from the emergence of complementary players: Nori Aoki, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar are hitting as well now as they have all year, and Eric Hosmer had a strong September after returning from the disabled list. The Royals also have multiple stolen-base threats, which should benefit them during the postseason.
General managers around baseball will watch this matchup closely: Jon Lester vs. James Shields, both of whom will be free agents after the season. Based on the starting pitchers alone, this could have a Game 7 feel. Lester, with a 2.11 ERA in 13 career postseason games, was acquired to pitch in a winner-take-all game for Oakland ... but Billy Beane probably thought that would happen in the ALCS, not on the final day of September. Meanwhile, Shields is back in the playoffs for the first time since back-to-back disappointments against Texas in 2010 and 2011 while he was with the Rays. When the Royals traded highly touted prospects for Shields two years ago, they imagined him pitching at Kauffman Stadium in the postseason. They're about to watch that unfold, but the opposing starter is the more proven October performer.
The marquee matchup pits Royals ace James Shields against A's ace Jon Lester. Who has the edge? Let's break it down:
American League Wild Card Option :
1. Join http://w.atch.me/FvMPzg
2. MLB + All Other Sports for Watch
3. Watch on PC, tablet or mobile
4. No install, watch directly online
5. Great Replays section
6. Just Enjoy :)
The Royals and A's were the bottom two teams in September run scoring among the 10 that qualified for the postseason, so we shouldn't expect a 10-9 game Tuesday night.
As has been discussed at length, the A's lost their offensive identity when they dealt Yoenis Cespedes to Boston in the Jon Lester trade. But the ineffectiveness of catalyst Coco Crisp has been an equally significant factor; Crisp has an on-base percentage of just .272 since the All-Star break. Derek Norris and Brandon Moss have regressed in the second half, as well.
The Royals still lack middle-of-the-lineup thunder, but they've benefited from the emergence of complementary players: Nori Aoki, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar are hitting as well now as they have all year, and Eric Hosmer had a strong September after returning from the disabled list. The Royals also have multiple stolen-base threats, which should benefit them during the postseason.
General managers around baseball will watch this matchup closely: Jon Lester vs. James Shields, both of whom will be free agents after the season. Based on the starting pitchers alone, this could have a Game 7 feel. Lester, with a 2.11 ERA in 13 career postseason games, was acquired to pitch in a winner-take-all game for Oakland ... but Billy Beane probably thought that would happen in the ALCS, not on the final day of September. Meanwhile, Shields is back in the playoffs for the first time since back-to-back disappointments against Texas in 2010 and 2011 while he was with the Rays. When the Royals traded highly touted prospects for Shields two years ago, they imagined him pitching at Kauffman Stadium in the postseason. They're about to watch that unfold, but the opposing starter is the more proven October performer.
