Cubs vs Royals Series Preview (August 20-22): TV and Game Info, Starting Pitchers, Insights
The Cubs actually won a series in Cincinnati against the Reds this week, creating a rare bright spot in a very gloomy stretch that has seen two double-digit losing streaks. Chicago now returns Wrigley to take on another rebuilding squad in the Kansas City Royals.
The Royals are in the bottom five of baseball in runs scored and ERA as they have fallen far from their own World Series title just six years ago. Catcher Salvador Pérez is having a monster year with 30 home runs and a team-best .817 OPS, but the rest of the offense is pretty pedestrian.
The Cubs are going to have another pitching debut of sorts this weekend when Keegan Thompson makes his first career MLB start. At this point, the focus is on seeing whether Thompson and fellow youngsters Justin Steele and Adbert Alzolay will be able to earn rotation spots for 2022.
The Cubs need to find out if this roster has any useful parts for next season and beyond, which at least gives fans something to look forward to in otherwise meaningless games. While they’re at it, maybe they’ll even get a couple wins too.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Friday, August 20 at 1:20pm CT on MLB Network (out of market only) and Marquee Sports Network
- Saturday, August 21 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee Sports Network
- Sunday, August 22 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee Sports Network
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 8/20 | Zach Davies | 28 | R | 5.00 | 6-9 | 5.05 | 1.47 |
| Brad Keller | 26 | R | 5.62 | 7-12 | 4.67 | 1.86 | |
| 8/21 | Keegan Thompson | 26 | R | 2.21 | 3-2 | 4.99 | 1.95 |
| Kris Bubic | 24 | L | 5.09 | 3-6 | 6.03 | 1.66 | |
| 8/22 | Alec Mills | 29 | R | 4.19 | 5-5 | 4.17 | 2.48 |
| Carlos Hernández | 24 | R | 4.33 | 3-1 | 4.29 | 2.08 |
What to Watch For
- Michael Hermosillo made his Cubs debut against the Reds and hit a long homer.
- Frank Schwindel had six more hits against Cincinnati as he stays red hot.
- Patrick Wisdom is hitting just .196 in the month of August and needs to regain his power stroke.