Series Preview: Royals @ Braves, KC Views

As we approach Jackie Robinson day on 4/15 we notice the Braves have a day off on the calendar.  Before you get crazy and throw your cat out the window, the Braves will wear the #42 jersey on Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals at Turner Field.  So with the series starting on Tuesday we decided to reach out to our buddies at Kings of Kauffman to help us preview the matchup.  Kings of Kauffman do a terrific job of covering all things Royals related, so we asked Mike Vamosi a few questions to get his insight.

Apr 9, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher

(11) delivers a pitch in the first inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Tomahawk Take:  Tuesday starts a two game series with the Royals, who are you expecting to see on the mound for KC and give us a synopsis of the two.

Mike Vamosi:  Jeremy Guthrie and Wade Davis are the scheduled starters for this series against the Braves. The Royals are unbeaten in Guthrie’s last 13 starts which includes seven wins by him. This season Jeremy is 2-0 (wins at Chicago and versus Minnesota) with a 3.55 ERA. Wade Davis struggled in his KC debut in Philadelphia but bounced back with a decent outing against Minnesota last week. His record is 1-0 with 4.00 ERA but it’ll be interesting to see how he does against the Braves lineup given how he did in Philly.

TT:  KC seems like a pretty young roster, who in the lineup should worry our pitching staff?

MV:  Left fielder Alex Gordon is the best player (in my opinion) you don’t hear about and is riding an 11-game hitting streak. Billy Butler is another name but with this being in an NL park I’m not sure how Ned Yost will decide to play him and Eric Hosmer. I say that given Butler sat in Philadelphia the first week. Hosmer is a good young player trying to bounce back from last season, another name  is Mike Moustakas who’s off to a slow start but can rake when he’s on. The final young names are catcher Salvador Perez and Lorenzo Cain (who you might remember from his Brewers days) both can provide offense.

TT:  Say the Royals are leading late in the game, do you think they have the bullpen to stop the Braves from putting up runs and just who are the late inning guys?

MV:  Greg Holland is the teams closer if you ask Ned Yost and see the teams depth chart. Holland has started slow with one blown save and a couple close calls which brings me to Kelvim Herrera who has closers stuff. Wait there’s more! Former high pick/All Star Aaron Crow also has a save this season plus can end a game if called on.

TT:  Braves are coming in hot starting the season 11-1, what are a few keys for KC’s success in this two game series?

MV:  Pitching, pitching and pitching. The Royals starters are going deeper into games this season with James Shields and Ervin Santana giving the team/setting the tone for the starters. It cannot be stressed enough how impactful this has been on the team, with an excellent bullpen shortening the game has been important and will be going forward.

TT:  What is your prediction for the Royals this season? Playoffs?

MV:  At the start of the season I predicted a 78-84 record just because I didn’t know how the pitching would turn out but I’ll settle for being wrong if the team makes the playoffs. While the AL Central is probably laughed at but Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit are teams that will battle both in and out of the division.