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Kansas City Royals Starting Rotation Joins The Party

By John Viril |

The Kansas City Royals have opened the season on a roll. The bullpen has been the best in baseball. The Royals have scored more runs than any team in the American League. And the KC Royals defense is still putting up highlight-reel plays like it has for the last two seasons.

Over the last three games, the struggling starting rotation has finally joined the party. In their last three starts, Kansas City Royals starting pitchers have logged 20.0 innings pitched and allowed zero earned runs.

The Kansas City Royals now sport a 26-14 record after Wednesday’s 7-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Jeremy Guthrie went 6.0 innings while allowing 5 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts to run his season record to 4-2.

Guthrie also lowered his season ERA from 5.44 to 4.75. Overall, the KC Royals rotation’s ERA dropped to 4.21, and they now rank number 19 in major-league baseball (8th in the A.L.).

Recently-acquired backup catcher Drew Butera had caught two sold games in a row from Guthrie, making me wonder if it was not a coincidence.  Since Salvador Perez caught what was Guthrie’s best start of the season, I guess JGuts doesn’t really need Butera behind the plate to succeed this season.

While that doesn’t bode well for Drew Butera’s continued presence on the Kansas City Royals roster after Erik Kratz returns from the disabled list, it does look good for the starting rotation.

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Wednesday’s performance from Guthrie follows back-to-back seven-inning starts from Edinson Volquez and Yordano Ventura without allowing an earned run.

The Kansas City Royals are finally hitting on all cylinders, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. After an off day on Thursday, the KC Royals start their annual interleague rivalry with the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals: who happen to own baseball’s best record at 27-13.

I don’t know about you, but I’m more than ready to see the Kansas City Royals show the Cardinals who’s boss in Missouri with a three-game sweep.

I’m tired of Cardinals fans lording it over their poor cousins from Kansas City. And, I’m sick of them crying that Don Denkinger’s famous blown call “cheated” them out of the 1985 World Series.

I can’t think of anything better than to stuff three straight wins down their throats on the 30th anniversary of Kansas City’s only championship. Since interleague play began in 1997, the KC Royals are 34-46 against St. Louis, with their only sweep coming in 2001.

Now that the rotation has turned things around, that outcome is far more than a pipe dream. Maybe, just maybe, it will become a long-awaited reality.

Next: Royals Offense Driving the Bus

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