PREMIUM
3-Game MLB SWEEPER PASS
(MLB) Kansas City vs. San Francisco,
Money Line: -114.00 San Francisco (Home)
Result: Loss
Money Line: -114.00 San Francisco (Home)
Result: Loss
The set-up: The Giants and Royals met in the 2014 World Series with the Giants winning Game 7 in KC, 3-2 (remember Bumgarner's classic performance in that Fall Classic?). That now seems like a lifetime ago, as the Royals are just 28-34 and the Giants 26-39 in 2017, as the two teams open a two-game interleague series on Tuesday in San Francisco. The Royals are 6-4 so far in June (have scored at least seven runs in their five wins) but on the season, are last in the AL in runs scored (237 / 3.82 per). The Giants (239) rank 28th in the majors in runs scored at 3.68 per, despite busting out of a slump by drubbing the Minnesota Twins 13-8 on Sunday.
The pitching matchup: Jason Vargas (8-3 & 2.18 ERA) takes the mound for KC and Ty Blach (4-3 & 3.64) for SF. Vargas has won his last three, despite not making it out of the sixth inning in two of them. He's sandwiched those two so-so starts around a seven-hit shutout of Cleveland on June 2. Vargas struck out nine in seven scoreless frames against the Giants at home on April 19 and is 1-1 with a 2.90 ERA in five career starts against them (teams are 3-2). Blach had a string of four straight wins come to an end when he allowed five runs on nine hits in six innings at Milwaukee last Wednesday.He also had a string of five straight starts of at least seven innings and three or fewer runs allowed come to an end in that contest. Blach has never faced the Royals and his lone previous interleague experience was a stint out of the bullpen at Kansas City on April 18, when he worked a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.
The pick: Vargas has had a nice season but the Royals have played poorly on the road, going 11-18 while allowing 5.10 RPG. Meanwhile, since replacing the injured Bumgarner in the rotation, Blach has done his best pitching at home, where he has allowed 19 hits and just seven ERs over 33 2/3 innings, posting a 1.87 ERA. In eight appearances this year at AT&T Park (five starts / three relief), Blach owns a 1.75 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. Make the Giants an 8* play.
The pitching matchup: Jason Vargas (8-3 & 2.18 ERA) takes the mound for KC and Ty Blach (4-3 & 3.64) for SF. Vargas has won his last three, despite not making it out of the sixth inning in two of them. He's sandwiched those two so-so starts around a seven-hit shutout of Cleveland on June 2. Vargas struck out nine in seven scoreless frames against the Giants at home on April 19 and is 1-1 with a 2.90 ERA in five career starts against them (teams are 3-2). Blach had a string of four straight wins come to an end when he allowed five runs on nine hits in six innings at Milwaukee last Wednesday.He also had a string of five straight starts of at least seven innings and three or fewer runs allowed come to an end in that contest. Blach has never faced the Royals and his lone previous interleague experience was a stint out of the bullpen at Kansas City on April 18, when he worked a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.
The pick: Vargas has had a nice season but the Royals have played poorly on the road, going 11-18 while allowing 5.10 RPG. Meanwhile, since replacing the injured Bumgarner in the rotation, Blach has done his best pitching at home, where he has allowed 19 hits and just seven ERs over 33 2/3 innings, posting a 1.87 ERA. In eight appearances this year at AT&T Park (five starts / three relief), Blach owns a 1.75 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. Make the Giants an 8* play.
