most dangerous

[xiaoqin55]

KANSAS CITY Authentic Mike Napoli Jersey , Mo. — The Boston Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals, two diametrically opposite clubs, meet in a three-game series beginning Friday night at Kauffman Stadium.

To say they are polar extremes would not be an exaggeration.

The Red Sox own the best record in the majors at 59-29. They have won eight of their past 10 and 10 of their past 13. They are 30 games over .500 for the first since they ended the 2013 season 32 games above.

Boston leads the American League with 463 runs and has outscored its opponents by 130 runs.

On the flip side, the Royals have lost six straight, 18 of 21 and 25 of 30. They are 25-61 and are 36 games below .500 for the first time since ending the 2006 season 62-100.

Kansas City ranks last in the American League with 297 runs and has been outscored by 167 runs.

“We didn’t have opportunities to manufacture runs,” manager Ned Yost told reporters after Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians. “We had opportunities with runners in scoring position that we couldn’t capitalize on. And that’s been a major problem for us all year long.”

The Red Sox are 31-17 on the road. The Royals have lost 12 of their last 13 games at Kauffman Stadium and their 11-32 home record is the worst in the majors.

The Royals have not scored more than four runs in 25 of their last 26 games. They have failed to collect double-figure hits in 25 of their last 26 games and are batting .191 with 55 runs in that stretch.

And who do the Royals face in the opener of this series?

None other than dominant left-hander Chris Sale, who leads the American League with 164 strikeouts and is averaging 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents own a .179 batting average versus Sale (8-4 Anthony Miller Color Rush Jersey , 2.41 ERA).

“He looks like the best pitcher in the big leagues right now,” Boston manager Alex Cora said.

Sale, who ranks among the league leaders in overall ERA, owns a 2.32 road ERA and a 2.45 night ERA. He enters the game having not allowed a run in his past 15 innings. Sale is 3-1 with a 1.03 ERA in his past five starts after striking out and allowing a first-inning single to Giancarlo Stanton in seven dominant innings in an 11-0 win at Yankee Stadium over the New York Yankees on Saturday.

“He was outstanding again,” Cora said. “Fastball command and off-speed pitches, it was a great performance.”

Sale is 10-10 with a 2.92 ERA in 33 career appearances, 22 starts Terrelle Pryor Sr. Jersey Elite , against Kansas City. He held the Royals to two runs and five hits while walking two and striking out six over seven innings in a no-decision on May 1 at Fenway Park. Sale is 2-0 with a 2.87 ERA in his last four starts in Kansas City, striking out 34 and walking five.

The Royals will counter with right-hander Jason Hammel, who is 2-10 with a 5.56 ERA. He is tied for the AL lead in losses and has yielded 15 runs in his last two starts. He is 0-5 with a 4.33 ERA in seven home starts this season.

Against the Red Sox, Hammel is 3-4 with a 5.13 ERA in 16 career appearances, nine of them starts. He dropped a 10-6 decision on April 30 to Boston, allowing eight runs on eight hits, including a pair of home runs Cheap Customized Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys , and three walks over 4 2/3 innings.

While Sale was the AL Pitcher of the Month for June, Hammel went 0-5 with a 6.43 ERA in six starts last month after ending May with back-to-back victories.

Hammel’s biggest challenge will be Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez. They rank 1-2 in the majors in slugging percentage with Betts at .669 and Martinez .642.

Betts has 21 home runs and a .338 batting average. Martinez is hitting .327 with a major league-best 26 home runs, which is more than any Boston player hit in 2017.

Betts also hit three homers at Fenway Park on May 2 and went 4-for-4 in that game.

Justin Berl/Getty ImagesOakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said wide receiver Martavis Bryant is a perfect match for the team's offense after acquiring him from the Pittsburgh Steelers during Thursday night's first round of the 2018 NFL draft.Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle provided comments from McKenzie, who noted the timing of the trade made it "feel like we drafted Martavis Bryant.""He's ideal [for] what you're looking for in a receiver," he said. "He can play big, he plays fast. And he makes plays. And we think he can be a dynamic receiver for Derek [Carr]."The Steelers聽announced聽they received a third-round pick (No. 79 overall) from the Raiders in the deal.Bryant flashed high-end upside during his time in Pittsburgh after being selected in the fourth round of the 2014 draft. He racked up 126 catches for 1,917 yards and 17 touchdowns across 36 games.The 26-year-old South Carolina native missed 20 games through suspension over the first four years of his NFL career Cheap Calvin Ridley Jersey , though.He received a聽four-game ban聽in August 2015 for a violation of the NFL's substance-abuse policy and was then suspended for a聽full season聽in March 2016 for a second violation of the same policy.Bryant was reinstated in April 2017 and played 15 games last season.In Oakland, he'll likely operate as the team's No. 3 receiver behind Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson.That group, paired with Carr at quarterback, Marshawn Lynch and Doug Martin at running back and Jared Cook at tight end, gives the Raiders a chance to own one of the league's most dangerous offenses in 2018..