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Al Yellon created Bleed Cubbie Blue and has been its managing editor since 2005. His latest book about the Cubs is "Chicago Cubs Firsts." Find him on Bluesky at @bleedcubbieblue.bsky.social

This is the Cubs’ fourth straight series against an American League team. So far, they are 5-4 in that stretch, and overall 19-11 vs. AL teams this year. They’ll continue that trek through the AL this weekend when they visit the White Sox on the South Side.

For more on the Royals, here’s Max Rieper, manager of our SB Nation Royals site Royals Review.

Two years ago, if you had told me the Royals would be just four games under .500 and 5½ games back of a playoff spot, I’d be doing backflips. But after last year’s surprising turnaround, that kind of underwhelming performance has left fans cold. The team went on an insane stretch where they won 16 of 18 in late April and early May, but since then they have one of the worst records in baseball.

The problem has been the offense. The Royals had a pop-gun offense carried by Bobby Witt Jr.’s MVP-caliber performance last year. The team thought Jonathan India could be a table-setter for him, but that hasn’t worked out. They couldn’t find any trades or free agents to upgrade the outfield, and hoped MJ Melendez or Hunter Renfroe could bounce back. Neither could, so they called up 2024 first-round pick Jac Caglianone after he tore up the minors. Unfortunately, the former Florida Gators slugger has struggled early on in his MLB career.

There is some hope. Bobby Witt Jr. is still an All-Star player, Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino have hit lately after a slow start and Maikel Garcia has blossomed this year into an All-Star third baseman with terrific defense. If they could just find an outfielder or two who was replacement level, that would be an improvement.

What is most frustrating is the pitching has been so good, that if the offense was somewhere close to average, the Royals would be challenging the Tigers. Seth Lugo doesn’t blow you away with his stuff, but his deep arsenal of pitches has allowed him to continue to be a top pitcher. He is the most likely player to be traded away at the deadline — with rumors the Cubs are interested — since he has a player option that will likely be declined. Kris Bubic is also a possibility to be moved, although he’s not an impending free agent. He bounced back from Tommy John surgery to become an All-Star with a plus change and a terrific sweeper. Michael Wacha has continued to be a very underrated and solid pitcher. The Royals have a gem in rookie Noah Cameron, a lefty who grew up watching the Royals in nearby St. Joseph, Missouri. The bullpen has avoided the issues they had early last year, but Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estévez have been a bit shaky the last few weeks. Steven Cruz may be a diamond in the rough as a hard-throwing righty, and John Schrieber has bounced back after an inconsistent 2024 season.

The Royals had a pretty dreadful June, but are playing a bit better in July. The next ten days are pretty important for them — if they have a great week, they could convince themselves they are in contention. If they tread water or worse though, they’ll probably look to move Lugo, and possibly Bubic or Estévez. It also wouldn’t surprise me if they trade Lugo, but add a long-term piece — reportedly they are interested in Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds. They have a solid core that could bounce back to contend next year, but they’ll need to upgrade the lineup.

Fun facts

The Cubs are 21-16 against the Royals, a winning percentage of .568. They have fared better against three other American League opponents: the Athletics (.708), Orioles (.682) and Mariners (.680). But they have played only 24, 22 and 25 games vs. those teams, respectively, far fewer than their 37 vs. the Royals.

The Cubs are 12-8 at home against the Royals and have won five of the seven series at Wrigley Field, including two games to one in the Royals’ last visit, two years ago.

The Cubs swept the first series the teams played, in 1997, and won the only two games at home in 2020. They dropped all three games in 2021.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Monday: Ryan Brasier, RHP (0-0, 1.04 ERA, 0.923 WHIP, 1.99 FIP) vs. Noah Cameron, LHP (3-4, 2.31 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 3.68 FIP)

Tuesday: Matthew Boyd, LHP (10-3, 2.34 ERA, 1.030 WHIP, 3.18 FIP) vs. TBD

Wednesday: TBD vs. Seth Lugo, RHP (6-5, 2.94 ERA, 1.093 WHIP, 4.37 FIP)

Brasier is clearly an opener on Monday. There have been rumors that Ben Brown is going to be recalled to be the “bulk guy” for Monday’s game. Otherwise, as you can see, we’re deep into TBD season.

Times & TV channels

Monday: 7:05p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Tuesday: 7:05 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network, MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Royals market territories)

Wednesday: 1:20 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Prediction

The Royals have lost four of their last six. On the other hand, they are starting at least one left-hander in this series (Cameron) and you know what the Cubs record is against LH starters.

The Cubs have won two of three in each of their last two series. They’ll do that again here.

Up next

As noted above, the Cubs travel to the South Side this weekend to face the White Sox in a three-game series at Rate Field beginning Friday evening.

Poll How many games will the Cubs win against the Royals?

This poll is closed

20%

3

(41 votes)

65%

2

(132 votes)

12%

1

(25 votes)

1%

0

(3 votes)

201 votes total

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