Having AL's best record hasn't produced World Series berth much lately
With six games remaining in the regular season and the American League's postseason home-field advantage yet to be determined, every game is big for the Kansas City Royals. That said, the club with the AL's best mark has made it to the World Series only once in the last five seasons.
LAST FIVE TEAMS WITH AMERICAN LEAGUE'S BEST RECORD
| Season | Team |
World Series? |
| 2014 | Los Angeles Angels | No |
| 2013 | Boston Red Sox | Yes |
| 2012 | New York Yankees |
No |
| 2011 | New York Yankees |
No |
| 2010 | Tampa Bay Rays | No |
The Royals are coming off a loss across town to the Chicago Cubs last night. An encouraging note as they move to the South Side of Chicago for three games: They've dominated the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field of late.
ROYALS VS. WHITE SOX -- LAST 25 GAMES AT U.S. CELLULAR FIELD
| Statistic | Royals | White Sox |
| Wins | 19 | 6 |
| Runs per game | 4.2 | 2.4 |
| Starter ERA | 2.60 | 4.18 |
| Team batting average | .274 | .223 |
| Home runs | 22 | 21 |
Johnny Cueto, who gets the start in the series opener tonight, looks to be getting back on track just in time for the playoffs.
JOHNNY CUETO'S STATISTICS SINCE JOINING THE ROYALS
| Statistic |
First four starts | Next five starts | Last two starts |
| W-L | 2-1 | 0-5 | 1-0 |
| ERA | 1.80 | 9.57 | 3.21 |
| Opponent batting average | .222 | .390 | .278 |
| WHIP | 0.93 | 1.97 | 1.29 |
| Home runs allowed |
1 | 8 | 0 |
It would be no surprise if designated hitter Kendrys Morales got a hit or two in each game against the White Sox. Lorenzo Cain, too, for that matter.
LONGEST ACTIVE HIT STREAKS BY ANY OPPOSING PLAYER AT U.S. CELLULAR FIELD
| Player | Current team | Streak |
| Marco Scutaro | San Francisco Giants | 14 games |
| Maicer Izturis | Toronto Blue Jays |
12 games |
| Kendrys Morales | Kansas City Royals | 10 games |
| Nori Aoki | San Francisco Giants | 10 games |
| Cliff Pennington | Toronto Blue Jays |
9 games |
| Lorenzo Cain | Kansas City Royals | 7 games |
| Three others tied with | 7 games |
