Cleveland at Kansas City

This line is a product of two primary things: Cleveland's 70-56 first place record and C.C. Sabathia. The reality is that Cleveland is there by default, not their recent play. Detroit has tanked, going 11-23 in their last 34 games. Cleveland has also tanked, but it has gone less noticed. The Tribe is just 19-24 in their last 43 games. The better team over the last quarter of a season? Kansas City. The Royals are 27-24 over their last 51 games. The Tribe went 12-1 in the first 13 starts by Sabathia, but followed that up with a terrible 2-7 record in his last nine starts. It isn't so much a  decline by him, but more a product of a team that has scored 3 runs or less in half of the games during this 19-24 stretch. The Royals have owned the Tribe at Kansas City winning 9 of the last 13 played here. Zack Greinke has sorted out his woes working out of the pen. He had nearly a 6 ERA as a starter, but has worked 53.1 innings out of the pen yielding just 43 hits and a 3.45 ERA. The Royals are primed to be a barking dog tonight.