The Royals desperately need this game. Look for Yordano Ventura to help the Royals get it done against an A's squad that has dropped 14 of their past 20 away contests.

The Royals are 15 games above .500 at home on the season while the A's are 11 game below .500 on the road.

Oakland has been using a lot of young pitchers as it plays out the string. Sean Manaea is one of these youngsters. He's been out since Aug. 29 with back trouble and his pitch count will be limited. Manaea came up in the the Kansas City organization so the Royals should have a good scouting report.

Oakland is 1-7 in Manae's road starts. In those eight road outings, Manaea is 0-6 with a 6.44 ERA. Batters are hitting .302 off him.

Ventura is at his best when pitching at Kauffman Stadium. He's 2-1 with a 2.55 ERA there since the All-Star break. The Royals are 26-10 in Ventura's last 36 home starts.