This week, we took a look at the upcoming road trip against two interesting teams. Oakland, of course, caused some trouble back in April but haven't played well (thought their run differential is strong). Houston, the Royals' opponent following the A's, are having a great first half but their hitters may not make enough contact to keep it up.

We also discussed an article on Business Insider suggesting that the Royals have found a market inefficiency. The article supposes that the Royals are ensuring they pull their starters early to get to the bullpen faster. There may be some truth to the circumstances, but is it really something the Royals have set up as a goal? We discuss. (The article is here http://www.businessinsider.com/royals-rays-reinventing-how-teams-use-starting-pitchers-2015-6: if you agree/disagree, email us at kansascitybaseballvault at gmail.com)

Finally, we wanted to let everyone know of a great event to come out and cheer on the Royals. To celebrate the All- Star Game and the likely multiple Royals starting the game, we, along with Kelly's Westport Inn, will be hosting a watch party on July 14 while the All Stars are in Cincinnati.