KC Royals Preview: 4 factors to focus on in NL East matchup

The KC Royals have done something no one thought would happen this season, and that is win six games in a row while sweeping the Minnesota Twins and New York Mets. The team is hitting on all cylinders for what seems to be the first time all year, with both hitting and pitching being hot at the same time.

The Royals just faced the Mets and face another National League East team fighting for a playoff spot when they open a three-game road series with Philadelphia tonight, The Phillies are in a bit of a different boat than the Mets as the Phils are in second place in the NL East.

The KC Royals go to Philadelphia for the first time since 2016

It has been a while since the Royals went to Citizens Bank Park and there are not many holdovers from either side from the last time (Salvador Perez and Aaron Nola still play for their respective teams). In the 2016 series, the Royals lost 2-1 with the win coming from an 8.2-innings outing from Danny Duffy which was closed out by Joakim Soria.

With the Royals' offense looking good, a visit to Philly may continue their win streak, but the Phillies are a solid team built on a lot of balance both in the rotation and starting lineup. The biggest weakness, so to say, for the Phillies is probably their bullpen mainly due to injuries.

This series will be an interesting one because the Phillies want to build up their Wild Card chances and the Royals want their hot play to continue. With that out of the way, let's take a look at four things to focus on in this series...