KANSAS CITY Evgenii Dadonov Jersey Kids , Mo. — The Boston Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals, two diametrically opposite clubs, meet in a three-game series beginning Friday night at Kauffman Stadium.
To say they are polar extremes would not be an exaggeration.
The Red Sox own the best record in the majors at 59-29. They have won eight of their past 10 and 10 of their past 13. They are 30 games over .500 for the first since they ended the 2013 season 32 games above.
Boston leads the American League with 463 runs and has outscored its opponents by 130 runs.
On the flip side, the Royals have lost six straight, 18 of 21 and 25 of 30. They are 25-61 and are 36 games below .500 for the first time since ending the 2006 season 62-100.
Kansas City ranks last in the American League with 297 runs and has been outscored by 167 runs.
“We didn’t have opportunities to manufacture runs,” manager Ned Yost told reporters after Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians. “We had opportunities with runners in scoring position that we couldn’t capitalize on. And that’s been a major problem for us all year long.”
The Red Sox are 31-17 on the road. The Royals have lost 12 of their last 13 games at Kauffman Stadium and their 11-32 home record is the worst in the majors.
The Royals have not scored more than four runs in 25 of their last 26 games. They have failed to collect double-figure hits in 25 of their last 26 games and are batting .191 with 55 runs in that stretch.
And who do the Royals face in the opener of this series?
None other than dominant left-hander Chris Sale, who leads the American League with 164 strikeouts and is averaging 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents own a .179 batting average versus Sale (8-4, 2.41 ERA).
“He looks like the best pitcher in the big leagues right now,” Boston manager Alex Cora said.
Sale, who ranks among the league leaders in overall ERA, owns a 2.32 road ERA and a 2.45 night ERA. He enters the game having not allowed a run in his past 15 innings. Sale is 3-1 with a 1.03 ERA in his past five starts after striking out and allowing a first-inning single to Giancarlo Stanton in seven dominant innings in an 11-0 win at Yankee Stadium over the New York Yankees on Saturday.
“He was outstanding again Jack Doyle Jersey ,” Cora said. “Fastball command and off-speed pitches, it was a great performance.”
Sale is 10-10 with a 2.92 ERA in 33 career appearances, 22 starts, against Kansas City. He held the Royals to two runs and five hits while walking two and striking out six over seven innings in a no-decision on May 1 at Fenway Park. Sale is 2-0 with a 2.87 ERA in his last four starts in Kansas City, striking out 34 and walking five.
The Royals will counter with right-hander Jason Hammel, who is 2-10 with a 5.56 ERA. He is tied for the AL lead in losses and has yielded 15 runs in his last two starts. He is 0-5 with a 4.33 ERA in seven home starts this season.
Against the Red Sox, Hammel is 3-4 with a 5.13 ERA in 16 career appearances, nine of them starts. He dropped a 10-6 decision on April 30 to Boston, allowing eight runs on eight hits, including a pair of home runs, and three walks over 4 2/3 innings.
While Sale was the AL Pitcher of the Month for June DeShone Kizer Jersey , Hammel went 0-5 with a 6.43 ERA in six starts last month after ending May with back-to-back victories.
Hammel’s biggest challenge will be Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez. They rank 1-2 in the majors in slugging percentage with Betts at .669 and Martinez .642.
Betts has 21 home runs and a .338 batting average. Martinez is hitting .327 with a major league-best 26 home runs, which is more than any Boston player hit in 2017.
Betts also hit three homers at Fenway Park on May 2 and went 4-for-4 in that game.
As first-year Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine installs his playbook, he's got one of the best to deliver the daily tests: two-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Through a week of training camp, Pettine's defense is passing those early quizzes.
By Pettine's count, his defense has seven interceptions of Rodgers. Three came at Monday's practice.
"It certainly gives our guys some confidence," Pettine said Wednesday, an off day for the team. "What a gift we have on defense to be able to go against one of the most elite quarterbacks to ever play the game. You talk about wearing ankle weights. That's a tremendous thing for us, and for us to have that success, it's a challenge for him. He's not going against the same defense that he had gone against and maybe he got used to over years and years and years that he figured out. He's still trying to figure us out, and there's that element.
" I just love the competition part of it. It's great when our guys can make a play. I think that from the beginning of camp, that's the bottom line: We've had some great competition."
Continuing that momentum will be the challenge as the Packers return to the field Thursday and look forward to Saturday's Family Night practice at sold-out Lambeau Field. On Monday Ibraheim Campbell Jersey , two defensive starters, third-year safety Kentrell Brice and fourth-year inside linebacker Jake Ryan, suffered significant injuries. Ryan tore his right ACL and is out for the season. Brice appeared to have reinjured the right ankle that required season-ending surgery last year.
At linebacker, the Packers will turn to Oren Burks, a third-round pick out of Vanderbilt who had taken some of the first-team reps from Ryan. Burks is one of five players on the depth chart participating in their first NFL training camp. The only remaining veteran is third-year starter Blake Martinez.
"(Burks) has flashed some things," Pettine said. "The transition from the college game to the NFL, it takes some time. He's very intelligent, he processes very quickly, but there's still just that learning curve. . We'll see how it plays out. It's a big loss with Jake. I know there's certainly open lines of communication with the personnel department."
At safety, Brice on Tuesday said he was thankful the injury "wasn't as serious as it could have been." Until he returns, the Packers figure to move forward with Josh Jones Womens Joe Flacco Jersey , a second-round pick last year.
Brice is a pure defensive back and Jones, a combination defensive back and linebacker, so they bring different skill sets. That could force Pettine to make some adjustments if Brice's injury lingers into the regular season.
"At this point, we're asking them to do all of the menu," Pettine said. "Whether it's a job during the season we might not have them do, we're asking them to do it all (now). But I think we certainly have thoughts on Kentrell is best at this, Josh is best at this, and kind of marry that together with a package; I think that's kind of on us as coaches to begin to shape a game plan and have the right personnel doing the right jobs when we're out there. But it's just too early."
Authentic Washington Redskins Jerseys
