The Royals trail the Guardians by four games in the AL Central as the team meet in Cleveland. Seth Lugo and Triston McKenzie take the mound. Lugo comes into the game with a 1.72 ERA. He limits hits, and especially extra-base hits, as opponents slug just .322 against him this season. McKenzie’s home run and walk rates are high this season, and his 3.77 ERA is much better than his 5.02 xFIP. He held opponents to a .231 BAPIP, very close to his impressive career .233 level.

The Braves return to Boston with Max Fried taking on Kutter Crawford. Fried stands 5-2 with a 2.97 ERA, thanks in part to a slugging percentage allowed (.272) lower than his OBP allowed (.275). Only eight of the 49 hits against him went for extra bases. Crawford pitched poorly over his last four Fenway starts, 1-3 with a 5.79 ERA. His three true outcomes are good, but batters dinged him for 28 hits in 23 1/3 innings.