Baseball is a unique sport in more ways than one. For a team to be successful, it takes camaraderie and buy-in to successfully reach a common goal. It is also impossible for this to happen without individual success.
We often compare a pitcher and hitter to a ‘cat and mouse,’ or a chess match where one is trying to out-smart the other. We have some pitcher/hitter matchups to be on the lookout for today. Let’s take a look at the three most intriguing matchups on Thursday’s slate.
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Reese Olson vs. Bobby Witt Jr.
The Kansas City Royals will travel to Detroit on Thursday to start a four-game series against the Tigers. The Royals head into the weekend set at 8-of-11, looking to avoid a losing streak after being swept by the New York Yankees. If the Royals can turn the tide, it will be young superstar Bobby Witt Jr. leading the charge.
Reese Olson will be the starter for the Tigers on Thursday, and Witt has had some luck against Olson in the past. He is 6-for-11 in 13 at-bats with two singles, a double, a triple and two homers. Look for Witt to have a big day on Thursday.
Brady Singer vs. Cal Raleigh
The Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds will square off this afternoon at Great American Ballpark. Game 3 will be a rubber match in this interleague series, and Brady Singer will take the ball for the home team. When he faces Mariners’ slugger Cal Raleigh, predicting the outcome will be like flipping a coin.
Raleigh is 5-for-14 in 15 plate appearances against Singer. Raleigh has two singles, two doubles and a homer. Singer has also struck out Raleigh four times. This will be an intriguing matchup to keep an eye out for on Thursday.
Jordan Hicks vs. Kyle Schwarber
The San Francisco Giants are looking to even up a four game set against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday. Veteran Jordan Hicks will look to neutralize the Philly offense with his high-velocity fastball and explosive breaking pitches, which Kyle Schwarber has struggled to hit in their few previous meetings.
Schwarber is 0-for-6 with two strikeouts against Hicks. This is most certainly a power on power matchup. Schwarber has a tendency to strike out a lot, but if he could make any minor adjustments based on his previous at-bats against Hicks, he could connect with a fastball and go deep today. We will see if Schwarber’s struggles against Hicks continue, or if he finds a way to flip the script.