Royals’ Ventura returns for battle with Cards
For the first time since June 17, Yordano Ventura is ready to take the mound for the Royals.
Suspended no longer, the righty leads the defending World Series champs into tonight’s battle vs. St. Louis, with an 8:15 p.m. ET first pitch at Kauffman Stadium. Online sports book Bovada.lv prefer the hosts as 1.5-run favorites. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are +106 underdogs.
Ventura has been sidelined for his role in a fracas earlier this month, when he beaned Baltimore’s Manny Machado and prompted both dugouts to clear. Now, he’s eager to resurface against the interleague rival that dealt him a pair of losses last season. Ventura’s lone career victory over the Redbirds came on June 5, 2014.
The visitors hope that Michael Wacha can post a more successful outing than Adam Wainwright did in the series opener. Where the St. Louis ace got blasted for six runs in the first two innings, Wacha’s coming off a strong meeting with the Cubs. He allowed a mere three base knocks runs across 6 2/3 frames, registering his first triumph since April 23.
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If Ventura struggles to command the strike zone early, the Cards can’t waste any time in taking advantage. As they saw all too well last night, Kansas City thrives on shortening contests with its lights-out bullpen as it is. There could be a problem, though: Aledmys Diaz’s health. The .310-hitting shortstop fouled off a pitch near his right eye about 13 hours ago, and his availability for this evening remains in question. That’s just another reason to anticipate a low-scoring affair at the K.
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