Royals Won't Be Easy

After demolishing the Rays, it looks like the Yanks are in good shape. And with four games against the Royals while the Sox play the Indians, maybe the Yanks can gain some ground.

It won't be easy. Kansas City just took two of three from Detroit, arguably the best team in baseball, and as Buster Olney discusses in today's blog post, the Royals are slowly improving and recovering from a decade of futility. They've got a very good bullpen behind Grienke, Soria, and Dotel, Gil Meche has made Dayton Moore look very smart so far, and the Royals' collective .292 team average for the month of July trails only the Yanks and Boston in the AL.

So I don't expect the Yanks to get past the Royals as easily as they blew by the Rays. I wouldn't be surprised if the Yanks take three of four this week, but there's a pretty good chance KC can do the same.

- Even though he lost last time out, Wang is still the best bet for a win this series. Clemens has had a few good starts, but the low Ks aren't a good sign. And you don't know what to expect from Moose (ERA now at 4.97) and Igawa.