Probable pitchers and starting lineups, KC Royals vs. Pittsburgh, Sept. 14

The KC Royals can win another series — and lock up their first winning season since 2015 — when they take on Pittsburgh today in an early afternoon contest at PNC Park. The Royals' 8-3 victory in Friday night's opener of this three-contest series was their 81st of the year, so their next win, which could come today, will give them 82; even if they drop every game after that victory (which they won't), they can't finish any worse than 82-80.

Saturday's first pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. CDT.

The game, Kansas City's 149th of the season and Pittsburgh's 148th, will feature two starting pitchers headed in opposite directions.

What does today's pitching matchup look like?

Slated to start this afternoon are Michael Wacha, 12-7 with a 3.34 ERA, for the Royals, and Mitch Keller, 11-9, 3.85, for the Pirates. Both are good veteran hurlers, but recent history suggests Wacha should have the edge. The Royals' right-hander is making the most of his first — and possibly last — season with the club: his 12 wins are second only to Seth Lugo's 16 for Kansas City, and he's won eight of his last nine decisions. His ERA is 2.72 over that span.

Keller, on the other hand, hasn't been so lucky. He's won just two of his last seven decisions after coming out on top in eight of his first 12, and went 1-3, 6.75 in five August starts.

How are the two teams doing in their playoff chases?

Before Friday night's game, Pittsburgh shared last place in the National League Central with Cincinnati. But because the Pirates lost to KC and the Reds beat Minnesota (more on that in a moment), the Bucs now have the cellar all to themselves. They're also 11 games out of the third NL Wild Card race. Consider their postseason prospects gone.

Things are much different for Kansas City. Friday evening's victory and first-place Cleveland's loss to Tampa Bay means the Royals trail the Guardians by only three games, and Minnesota's loss to Cincinnati dropped the Twins 1.5 games behind second-place KC and 2.5 games behind the Royals for the second AL Wild Card.

What does Kansas City's lineup look like?

Here's how manager Matt Quatraro is deploying the Royals this afternoon:

Who's in Pittsburgh's starting lineup?

The Pirates' lineup is here.

How can KC Royals fans follow the game?

Televising today's contest are Bally Sports Kansas City and SportsNet-PIT. Royals streaming options can be found here. Kansas City's 96.5 FM The Fan and KFNZ-AM 610 have the radio broadcast, which can also be heard on the many other stations on the Royals Radio Network.

More about the KC Royals from Kings of Kauffman