Kansas City Royals (9-8) @ Cleveland Indians (8-10)

Apr 17, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher James Shields (33) pitches during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Pitching Match-Ups

Jeremy Guthrie (2-0, 4.34 ERA/4.85 SIERA) vs. Zach McAllister (2-0, 2.04/3.98)

The journey for Jeremy Guthrie has been one full of twists and turns. The former Indians pitching prospect never quite materialized in Cleveland. In 2007 he made his way to Baltimore and in five seasons with the Orioles he began to tap into that promise. After spending all of 2012 out of Major League Baseball, Guthrie has now found a home in Kansas City. In 2013, he posted a 15-12 record with a career high 211.2 innings pitched. Guthrie helped solidify the Royals rotation behind James Shields and looks to be well on his way to a repeat performance in 2014.

Meanwhile, Zach McAllisters has been the Indians best starter so far this season. After a shaky first start in Oakland to begin the year, McAllister has bounced back in a big way over his previous two starts, both gems against the Padres and Tigers. McAllister has always shown flashes of what he could potentially become, but always seemed to run into trouble on his second or third time through a batting order. That doesn’t appear to be the case this season, at least for now. That speaks highly to his development and the hard work he has put into honing his craft.

James Shields (1-2, 2.00/3.12) vs. Danny Salazar (0-2, 7.71/4.02)

As mentioned earlier, James Shields is arguably one of the best starting pitchers in all of baseball even though he doesn’t get a quarter of the hype that most other front line starters receive. That will happen when you spend the entirety of your career playing for the Tampa Bay Rays and Kansas City Royals. If he were a member of the Yankees or Red Sox, it would be a whole different story. All Shields can do is continue to pitch the way he has over recent years. If he does that, the accolades will come with time. Now, if only he could get some run support.

As for Danny Salazar, 2014 has not been the breakout success many thought it would be, at least not yet. While he has done some amazing things when it comes to striking out opposing batters (10.93 k/9), he hasn’t had the same success keeping teams off of the score board. A major concern so far has been the boom or bust nature of at bats for opposing hitters. While Salazar is striking out hitters in record setting ways, the opposition is also hitting .328 against him. Walks and home runs have also been a concern (he’s averaging 5.14 BB/9 and 2.57 HR/9). Of course, one could look at the .405 BAbip against him. That is a figure that is absolutely impossible for opposing hitters to maintain. As his bad luck begins to turn around, we should see Salazar’s starts begin to improve. Just be aware that Salazar is still a young pitcher and this is going to take time for him to figure out. Be patient Tribe fans.

Jason Vargas (2-0, 1.24/4.34) vs. Justin Masterson (0-0, 4.98/3.56)

As I mentioned above with Jason Vargas, he is off to an excellent start and appears to be well worth the investment the Royals decided to make in him this winter. This will be a tough test for Vargas, though. In five career starts against the Indians, he has posted a 2-2 record with a 5.40 ERA. It’s a small sample size, but one that points toward success for the Indians. However, on the flip side of that metaphorical coin, Vargas has been great at Progressive Field. In two career starts, he is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 1.071 WHIP. This game could really go either way for the Indians, but given their recent offensive struggles, I have to lean towards Vargas having success in this start.

Justin Masterson is coming off of a great start against the Blue Jays that saw him take a no decision. So far in 2014, it’s been a tale of two Masterson’s. When he’s been good, he’s been great. Just ask the Blue Jays or A’s. But, when he has been bad, he has been downright awful. Both the Twins and White Sox got to see that first hand when they roughed him up in starts earlier in the season. Which Masterson are we going to see in this game? I have to believe we are more likely to see the good Masterson. He appears to have resolved the mechanical issue that was giving him problems and the end result was some nasty, unhittable stuff in his last start. Against a weak hitting team like the Royals, I expect to see more of the same.

Bruce Chen (1-1, 6.60/3.75) vs. Corey Kluber (1-2, 5.40/4.02)

In the final game of this series, the Indians will try their hand at the Royals’ utility knife version of a pitcher, Bruce Chen. In recent years, we have seen Chen bounce back and forth between the starting rotation and the bullpen. This season, at least early on, it looks like Chen will be slotted in as a starter. Whether that lasts the entire season is anyone’s best guess, but the flexibility he provides the Royals is something every team could use. He was roughed up a bit in one start against the Twins, but for the most part, Chen has been his usual steady self.

Lastly, Corey Kluber will hope the rain stays away and allows him to make a scheduled start for the first time this season. So far, he has had each and every one of his starts either delayed or postponed due to rain. He hasn’t let that get him down, though. So far this season, with the exception of his first start against the A’s, Kluber has been solid. Next to McAllister, he has been either the Tribe’s best or second baset starting pitcher. He has taken 2013’s success and managed to build upon it. I spoke at length about how I didn’t think Kluber was that good. He proved me wrong last season and has continued to do so in 2014. It just goes to show that you never know when the switch will flip. In the case of Corey Kluber, he is definitely switched on.