Young, coming off no-hit stint, is dominating right-handed batters
In his last start, Kansas City Royals right-hander Chris Young pitched five innings of no-hit ball just hours after his father passed away. He gets the start again tonight as the Royals open their final regular-season series of 2015 at Minnesota.
Young has been tough to hit all season, holding opposing batters to a .203 batting average. And he has been lights-out against right-handers, who have been frustrated to the tune of a .165 average this season -- the lowest mark against any hurler with more than 100 innings pitched. That's 48 points lower than Young's career mark of .213 against right-handed batters, which is second only to Clayton Kershaw (.211) among active pitchers who have thrown at least 1,000 innings.
LOWEST BATTING AVERAGE ALLOWED VS. RIGHT-HANDED BATTERS IN 2015*
| Pitcher | Team | Batting average allowed |
| Chris Young | Kansas City Royals | .165 |
| Zack Greinke | Los Angeles Dodgers | .182 |
| Jacob deGrom | New York Mets |
.186 |
| Max Scherzer | Washington Nationals | .190 |
| Clayton Kershaw | Los Angeles Dodgers | .192 |
| * Minimum 100 innings pitched | MLB average | .254 |
Young will face Ervin Santana, who started for Kansas City in 2013. Santana was suspended for the first three months of this season, then posted a 6.05 ERA through his first 10 starts. Since the end of August, however, he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball.
LOWEST ERA AFTER AUGUST 29, 2015*
| Pitcher | Team | ERA |
| Jake Arrieta | Chicago Cubs | 0.37 |
| Cody Anderson | Cleveland Indians | 1.38 |
| Ervin Santana | Minnesota Twins | 1.47 |
| John Lackey |
St. Louis Cardinals | 1.74 |
| Clayton Kershaw | Los Angeles Dodgers | 1.84 |
| * Minimum one IP per team game | MLB average for starting pitchers | 4.32 |
Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas has been one of the most improved hitters in baseball this season, especially when measured by on-base plus slugging percentage.
LARGEST INCREASE IN OPS FROM 2014 TO 2015*
| Player, Current team | 2014 OPS | 2015 OPS | Differential |
| Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles | .704 | .904 | +.200 |
| Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians | .640 | .824 | +.184 |
| Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals | .632 | .814 | +.182 |
| Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays | .798 | .952 | +.154 |
| Yunel Escobar, Washington Nationals | .664 | .798 | +.134 |
| * Minimum 500 plate appearances both seasons |
The Royals will have the fewest batter strikeouts in baseball for the fourth straight season. That will tie for the longest streak in the last 100 years.
MOST CONSECUTIVE SEASONS WITH FEWEST BATTER STRIKEOUTS SINCE 1915
| Team | Years | Number |
| Kansas City Royals | 2012-15 | 4 |
| New York Yankees |
1971-74 | 4 |
| Boston Red Sox |
1986-88 | 3 |
| Atlanta Braves | 1968-70 |
3 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 1932-34 | 3 |
| Boston Red Sox | 1915-17 | 3 |
STATISTICS FOR ROYALS' LAST 23 GAMES AT MINNESOTA (June 30, 2013-present)
| Statistic | Kansas City Royals |
Minnesota Twins |
| Wins | 16 | 7 |
| Runs per game | 5.0 | 3.7 |
| Batting average | .280 | .221 |
| Batting average with runners on |
.304 | .222 |
| OPS | .749 | .651 |
| ERA | 3.11 | 4.52 |
| Starters ERA | 2.94 | 4.49 |
