Five AL wild-card questions

By
TIM KURKJIAN via <a href="http://espn.go.com/" title="ESPN" class="espn_sc_byline">ESPN </a>
via
September 30, 2014, 12:12 PM ET
1 min read

— -- One team made it to the playoffs for the first time since 1985. The other recorded the lowest winning percentage (.433) in the second half of the season by any team since the first All-Star Game in 1933. One team has an offensive stat line that doesn't make sense for a playoff team. The other seemingly hasn't had a good offensive night since July 31.

One team is called the Athletics, and they used to call the other team's city home. It's the Oakland A's against the Kansas City Royals in the American League wild-card game, a flawed, but fascinating one-game playoff.

Here are five questions.

How do the Royals score runs?

Will the A's ever score again?

How much of a game-changer is the K.C. defense?

Is this game why the A's traded for Jon Lester?

Is there a better bullpen than the Royals' bullpen?

The pick: Royals