60-49 this season

So the brief series is tied at one game a piece. Both teams are going to be looking for a series tonight. For very different reasons.

Tonight, Robin is sending out the following guys to do battle to hopefully gain ground in the AL Central:

Alejandro De Aza CF, Bacon 2B, Big Donkey DH, Youk 3B, AJ Pierzynski C, The Cuban Missile SS, The Cuban Tank LF, Jordan Danks RF, O-Dog DH.

Jose Quintana will start for the Sox tonight. Jose is coming into this start with some extra rest. Since the All-Star break, Jose is 0-0 with a 4.44 ERA in four starts. His last start against the Royals was his only career appearance against them just after the All-Start break. He got a no-decision after allowing five runs on eight hits in just five innings of work.

„ At home so far, Jose is 2-1 with a 2.31 ERA in six games. Hopefully his home goodness continues. 

46-63 on the season

Ned Yost will send out the following guys to continue playing spoiler and make the AL Central race more exciting:

Alex Gordon LF, Alcides Escobar SS, Lorenzo Cain CF, Billy Butler DH, Salvador Perez C, Mike Moustakas 3B, Frenchy RF, Eric Hosmer 1B, Tony Abreu 2B.

Jeremy Guthrie will start for the PITAs tonight. It will be his 200th career appearance. Guthrie was traded from the Rockies for Jonathan Sanchez last month. So far for the Royals, he is 0-3. His last outing was against the Rangers and he managed to have a quality start in that game. He did lose the game while he scattered two runs through six innings. He left the game after a leadoff single by Michael Young and that run eventually scored. AJ Pierzynski, Alex Rios, Kevin Youkilis and Gordon Beckham have all hit Guthrie pretty well. In the past five years, Sox hitters have hit 11 home runs off Mr. Guthrie. Tonight would be a great night to add to that total.

*Notes: AJ Pierzynski and Alex Rios have nine-game hitting streaks. Bruce Chen now has 68 career wins. He is second only to Mariano Rivera who has 76 wins for Panamanian-born baseball players.