The Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs have both positioned themselves to be first-place contenders in their respective divisions, but recent struggles have them now fighting for that top spot with other teams finding their strides. The Royals remain in first place while the Minnesota Twins aim to take the spot. The Cubs have suffered a few recent losses that have them losing pace and needing some new momentum.
The Royals might be 28-18 on the season, but they are now only tied for first place in the American League Central thanks to a four-game losing streak. The remain second in runs per game, but they have slumped to just 5.0 during the losing streak as the Twins have won their last seven of eight matches to challenge the Royals.
Kansas City will start Edinson Volquez on the mound who is 4-3 with a 2.77 ERA on the year. He has looked strong in his last two starts, giving up just two runs in 13 innings, but he has struggled recenty on the road, having yet to find a win. Against the Cubs he has found plenty of success being 7-0 with a 2.90 ERA in 11 games. Against National League teams in general he is 5-0 with a 1.36 Era. Volquez along with Salvador Perez could be what gets the Royals moving again. Perez is currently hitting .354 with 22 RBIs in his last 26 games against NL opponents.
The Cubs will put Jake Arrieta on the mound who is 4-4 with a 2.95 ERA. He has three strong starts to his name recently, getting 24 strikeouts in 21 innings. Meanwhile against the Royals he is 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA in three starts. The Cubs' batting has struggled in recent games. That had been their strong point but stars like Kris Bryant are 3 for 14 in his last four games. The Cubs defense also needs work. They had three errors in Wednesday's game while putting up nine in their last six games altogether. If the hitting is going to be an issue than the defense needs to step up.
