The Kansas City Royals will go for a three-game sweep when they host the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night in the series finale at Kauffman Stadium.Kansas City (49-95) has played much better as of late despite having the second-worst record in baseball behind only the Baltimore Orioles (41-103). The Royals won the series opener 4-3 in 10 innings Travis Shaw Jersey , and they posted a more comfortable 6-3 victory Tuesday.The Royals have won seven home games in a row, including a three-game sweep over Baltimore over Labor Day weekend. Kansas City is 27-45 at home on the season.Article continues below ...“Especially about the last three weeks, the feeling of us never being out of a game has returned,” Royals manager Ned Yost said to MLB.com. “Finding ways to score, I’m a lot more confident in that.”Chicago (56-89) is headed in the opposite direction, at least in the short term. The White Sox have lost seven games in a row, and a loss in the series finale would match their longest losing streak of an already forgettable season.Five of those losses have come since the White Sox learned that prized pitcher Michael Kopech would miss the rest of this season and all of next season because of Tommy John surgery. Kopech’s arrival had electrified teammates and fans alike as he limited opponents to one run in his first 11 innings before his ill-fated most recent start.White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon (6-5, 3.11 ERA) will try to snap the skid when he makes his 17th start of the season. He has stumbled in his past two outings, allowing eight earned runs in 11 innings Paul Molitor Jersey , after a remarkable run from June to August.Rodon criticized his most recent outing, which he described as “horse (expletive),” and vowed to bounce back.“Just no command,” Rodon told reporters after losing to the Los Angeles Angels. “Down in the bullpen, didn’t feel good. Usually, you try to clear that. The first inning went well, and I tried to build off of that. Just didn’t happen.”In five career outings against Kansas City, Rodon is 2-2 with a 3.90 ERA. He has walked nine and fanned 27 in 27 2/3 innings.The Royals also will go with a left-hander as they attempt to lock up the sweep. Eric Skoglund (1-5, 6.45 ERA) http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-robin-yount-jersey , a 25-year-old out of the University of Central Florida, will make his 10th start of the season and the 15th of his career.An elbow injury sidelined Skoglund for much of the season, but he returned Friday against the Minnesota Twins. He threw two scoreless innings of relief on 27 pitches as he built arm strength for his return to the starting rotation.In two career starts against the White Sox, Skoglund is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA. He has given up seven hits, walked three and struck out 11 in 10 innings. His only other career win came against the Detroit Tigers.This marks the 19th and final meeting of the season between the two. The White Sox hold a 10-8 season series edge. They have scored 100 runs against the Royals while giving up 79. The Red Sox celebrated their 2018 World Series title with the parade that rolled throughBostonon Wednesday, capping off a season that included winning 108 regular-season games and dispatching the New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason.Not only did the Red Sox win their fourth world championship since 2004 and ninth in team history, but they are also being compared with some of the greatest teams in Major League Baseball history.The Red Sox are clearly in a strong position for the future, and they are the co-favorites to win the 2019 World Series along with the Astros. Both teams are +700 favorites (bet $100 to win $700) to win the World Series next year Matt Garza Jersey , per OddsShark.Top 10 World Series favorites for 20191. Boston Red Sox, +7001. Houston Astros, +7003. New York Yankees, +8003. Los Angeles Dodgers, +8005. Chicago Cubs, +9006. Cleveland Indians, +12007. Milwaukee Brewers, +14007. Atlanta Braves, +14009. Washington Nationals http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-stephen-vogt-jersey , +18009. St. Louis Cardinals, +1800The Red Sox clearly have some concerns going into the offseason, and two of the biggest involve closer Craig Kimbrel and Nathan Eovaldi.Kimbrel has been an excellent closer for the Red Sox the past three seasons, although he struggled quite a bit in the postseason. He will be a free agent in the offseason, and the Red Sox are going to have to decide if they want to bring him back and at what price.Eovaldi proved his value several times during the regular season and then cemented his status in the postseason. With a fastball that exceeds 100 miles per hour, Eovaldi is a major presence on the mound. However, it was the command that had eluded him prior to this year that made him a special pitcher in the offseason.He pitched six-plus innings in Game 3 of the World Series, and while he ultimately suffered the loss in that 18-inning game when he surrendered a walk-off home run to Max Muncy, he steadied the Red Sox when they needed it most. Manager Alex Cora cited him in front of the team after the heartbreaking loss for his brilliant performance Christian Yelich Jersey , and his teammates gave him a standing ovation.Eovaldi is alsoa free agent, and bringing him back would be a positive move for the pitching staff.The Astros could lose free-agent pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton. While they might be able to survive one of those two pitchers leaving, losing both would be a problem for the 2017 World Series winners.The Yankees are usually one of the top offseason stories, and they traded for Giancarlo Stanton last year. The Bronx Bombers could make a move for a free-agent pitcher such as Arizona left-hander Patrick Corbin or possibly get involved in the Manny Machado or Bryce Harper sweepstakes.The Dodgers seem unlikely to bring Machado back, but they may need to address their bullpen after significant failures in that area during the World Series.Offseason moves will clearly impact the odds on which team will win the 2019 World Series, and the numbers are quite fluid and could change frequently in the offseason.
