*** Official Kansas City Royals @ Houston Astros Game Thread (6/29) ***
 

<table border=3 cellpadding = 4>
<tr><td>Final</td> <td> 1 </td> <td> 2 </td><td> 3 </td><td> 4 </td><td> 5 </td><td> 6 </td><td> 7 </td><td> 8 </td><td> 9 </td><td> R </td><td> H </td><td> E </td></tr>
<tr><td> KC (44-29) </td><td> 0 </td><td> 0 </td><td> 0 </td><td> 0 </td><td> 0 </td><td> 0 </td><td> 1 </td><td> 0 </td><td> 0 </td><td> 1 </td><td> 5 </td><td> 0 </td></tr>
<tr><td> HOU (45-34) </td><td> 0 </td><td> 2 </td><td> 3 </td><td> 0 </td><td> 1 </td><td> 0 </td><td> 0 </td><td> 0 </td><td> X </td><td> 6 </td><td> 7 </td><td> 0 </td></tr>
</table>

http://mlb.mlb.com/images/logos/80x80/kc.png

Loss, (2-1) Joe Blanton 2⅔IP 5R 5ER 4BB 2K 1HR
Brandon Finnegan 3⅓IP 1R 1ER 2BB 2K 1HR
Luke Hochevar 1IP 0R 0ER 0BB 2K
Jason Frasor 1IP 0R 0ER 1BB 2K

VS.

http://mlb.mlb.com/images/logos/80x80/hou.png

Win, (4-2) Lance McCullers 7IP 1R 1ER 2BB 6K 1HR
Joe Thatcher ⅔IP 0R 0ER 1BB 0K
Will Harris 1⅓IP 0R 0ER 1BB 0K

Home Runs

KC

Salvador Perez, (13) - Top 7th solo shot to left

HOU

Jose Altuve, (7) - Bottom 3rd solo shot to left
Chris Carter, (14) - Bottom 5th solo shot to center

AL Central

Final: CLE 7, TB 1
Final: MIN 7, CIN 11

Starting Lineups

KC

<strike>1. Alcides Escobar, SS</strike>
scratched
1. Jarrod Dyson, CF
2. Mike Moustakas, 3B
3. Lorenzo Cain, DH
4. Kendrys Morales, 1B
5. Salvador Perez, C
6. Alex Gordon, LF
7. Alex Rios, RF
8. Omar Infante, 2B
9. Christian Colon, SS

HOU

1. George Springer, CF
2. Jose Altuve, 2B
3. Carlos Correa, SS
4. Luis Valbuena, 3B
5. Chris Carter, 1B
6. Jon Singleton, DH
7. Preston Tucker, LF
8. Domingo Santana, RF
9. Jason Castro, C

It's KING Joe Blanton, to you.

Astros power + Minute Maid bandbox + Blanton = we may need 8 runs in this one

Going to the game with my sister and niece. This will be the first Royals game I've gone to since I lived in KC 20 years ago. We'll be about 15 rows behind their dugout trying to get the chant going.

Let's go, Royals! Clap! Clap! ClapClapClap!

Yeah, that last game against Seattle featured at least 4 balls that would have been 5 rows deep in Bullshit Dimensions field.

Yeah, this has early exit written all over it.

Here's minute maid park, which I believe is the dumbest ballpark in baseball. (freaking hill in center, and a flag pole in the field of play)

http://www.andrewclem.com/Baseball/D...teMaidPark.gif

Right is fair, dead center is very deep, but the left field is a joke, especially near the line.

It's brutal. I don't know if you've seen the news, but they're getting rid of the hill in center and moving the CF fences in after this season. I believe sonewhere around 409 to center for next season.

Sounds like a park left hand pull hitters would love to go.

Also, no Hosmer for at least a couple days according to McCullough.
Esky will be decided here shortly for tonight. No word on Cain.

Worst case, we could be down Esky, Hos, and Cain for tonight in addition to Blanton pitching in Houston.

If Blanton can keep the ball down, we should be alright. If he's getting crushed, then......probably won't end well. This series really isn't a must win, since we've gained so much separation on the division recently.

Can Chris Young play 1st?

He leads majors in OPS with 1.333. That Bryce Harper guy only has a meager 1.18, what a hack.

And a freeway butted up against it.

Here it is
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="fr" dir="ltr">Tremendous Damage Lineup: Escobar 6, Moustakas 5, Cain DH, Morales 3, Perez 2, Gordon 7, Rios 9, Infante 4, Dyson 8, Blanton 1.</p>&mdash; Andy McCullough (@McCulloughStar) <a href="https://twitter.com/McCulloughStar/status/615636857594904576">June 29, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Esky in, says he feels 50-50 on playing tonight. Still feels pain when he throws.
Cain at DH, no Hos, Morales at first. Dyson in center.

Still a pretty good lineup. Hosmer's been cold anyway. A break could do him some good as long as it's not a DL stint.