2.39
ERA
1.10
WHIP
7.7
K/9
52.2
IP
9
GS
3.1
BB/9
Chicago Cubs vs Kansas City Royals
—:—
7:10 PM ET
H2H 1–2
KC · Home · 48-69
Kansas City Royals
Starting pitchers
4.41
ERA
1.39
WHIP
6.9
K/9
128.2
IP
23
GS
3.1
BB/9
Starter form · last 5 starts
Matchup edge
Clay Holmes pitching edge·Cubs 7–3 L10
Lineup not yet announced · posted ~1–2 hrs before first pitch
Projected hitters vs RHP / RHP
Cubs vs RHP
Avg OPS 0.8222 hot hittersTop: Dean 1.300 · Crow-Armstrong 0.923 · Suzuki 0.780
Projected sample — season splits vs pitcher hand, not official order.
Royals vs RHP
Avg OPS 0.7871 hot hitterTop: Rave 0.924 · Maile 0.846 · Caglianone 0.821
Projected sample — season splits vs pitcher hand, not official order.
Chicago Cubs hitters vs RHP (projected)
Batter
AVG
OPS
HR
Kansas City Royals hitters vs RHP (projected)
Batter
AVG
OPS
HR
◆ Matchup preview
Chicago Cubs at Kansas City Royals (2026-08-08). Clay Holmes vs Seth Lugo at Kauffman Stadium.
Starters — Clay Holmes has a 2.39 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across 52.2 innings, with 7.69 K/9, 3.08 BB/9, and 0.51 HR/9. His last three starts were 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 8 K, 2 BB; 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 K, 2 BB; and 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 K, 3 BB. The overall trend is up, supported by only 3 home runs allowed all season. Seth Lugo carries a 4.41 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over 128.2 innings, with 6.92 K/9, 3.15 BB/9, and 1.05 HR/9. His last three starts were 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 3 K, 5 BB; 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 K, 2 BB; and 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 K, 2 BB. His trend is also listed up, although the most recent outing showed shakier command.
Teams — Chicago enters with a .754 OPS, 601 runs, a .248 average, and a 4.05 team ERA with a 1.25 WHIP. The Cubs are also 7-3 over their last 10, which fits the stronger run production and better overall pitching profile. Kansas City has a .708 OPS, 484 runs, and a .245 average, with a 4.82 team ERA and 1.42 WHIP. The Royals are 3-7 in their last 10, and the gap in season-long run scoring and staff efficiency is notable. From a matchup standpoint, Chicago brings the more productive offense and the cleaner full-team pitching indicators, while Kansas City leans on Lugo’s workload and the home setting to stabilize things.
Key facts
Cubs 601 runs vs Royals 484 runsHolmes 2.39 ERA and 0.51 HR/9Royals team pitching: 4.82 ERA and 1.42 WHIP
Head to head (2025–2026)
1—2
Kansas City Royals lead series
3 meetings total
2025-07-23
Kansas City Royals @ Chicago Cubs
8–4
KC
2025-07-22
Kansas City Royals @ Chicago Cubs
0–6
CHC
2025-07-21
Kansas City Royals @ Chicago Cubs
12–4
KC
Team picture · 2026
CHC
KC
Team AVG
0.248
0.245
Team OPS
0.754
0.708
Home runs
145
117
Runs scored
601
484
Team ERA
4.05
4.82
HR allowed
173
149
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