Chicago Cubs vs Kansas City Royals – Series Preview (July 21-23): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (59-40) had a good start to the second half by taking two out of three from a Red Sox squad that had been on a 10-game winning streak prior to coming to Wrigley. Unfortunately, the Brewers have also racked up 10 consecutive victories to pull even with Chicago in the NL Central. Craig Counsell‘s team hopes to win another series when Kansas City comes to town starting Monday.
The Royals (48-52) made a surprising run to the playoffs in 2024, eliminating the Orioles before losing to the Yankees in the ALDS. 2025 has been more of a struggle with KC sitting under .500 for most of the season. They are way back in the AL Central but are still hanging on in the Wild Card race.
The pitching staff has been excellent for the Royals so far with a 3.49 team ERA that sits second in all of baseball. Kris Bubic and Seth Lugo are both having terrific seasons at the top of the rotation. Young lefty starter Noah Cameron has been great since making his major league debut early in the season.
The bullpen has been very effective too, with Lucas Erceg and Daniel Lynch IV doing well in set-up roles. Former Angels closer Carlos Estevez has an impressive 26 saves in the same job for Kansas City in the first half.
The Royals have needed every bit of that quality pitching because their offense has not been good. They have a team OPS of just .675, which is better than only four teams in MLB. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. is undoubtedly the most dangerous hitter in the lineup with a .836 OPS and 14 home runs.
Power has been hard to come by as the Royals have only 77 dingers, fewer than anyone but the Pirates. Catcher Salvador Peréz still has some pop in his bat with 15 homers, and third baseman Maikel Garcia got a trip to the All-Star Game.
If the Cubs can score, they will be in excellent shape to keep the struggling Royals lineup in check. Things might get a bit dicey if offense is at a premium, but it’s definitely a winnable series. Milwaukee is not going to stay red hot forever and the North Siders will be in fine shape going forward if they just keep playing like they have been.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, July 21 at 7:05pm CT on MLB Network and Marquee.
- Tuesday, July 22 at 7:05pm CT on Marquee.
- Wednesday, July 23 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 7/21 | Ryan Brasier | 37 | R | 1.04 | 0-0 | 1.99 | 4.67 |
| Noah Cameron | 26 | L | 2.31 | 3-4 | 3.68 | 2.64 | |
| 7/22 | Matthew Boyd | 34 | L | 2.34 | 10-3 | 3.18 | 4.43 |
| TBA | |||||||
| 7/23 | Colin Rea | 35 | R | 3.80 | 8–3 | 4.72 | 2.59 |
| Seth Lugo | 35 | R | 2.94 | 6–5 | 4.37 | 3.00 |
What to Watch For
- Brasier will be the opener on Monday with Ben Brown expected to come back up from Iowa and pitch after him.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong had five hits against Boston with three doubles and a home run.
- Boyd will have nine days of rest between starts thanks to the All-Star break.
- Nico Hoerner also had five hits against the Red Sox.
