The last time these teams met, in 2015, the Royals were on their way to their second straight World Series, which they won. The Cubs were beginning their current run of three straight appearances in the NLCS, capped by the 2016 World Series victory.
The Cubs, though struggling a bit, still seem headed to the postseason again. The Royals? Not so much. Only the awful Orioles prevent them from having the worst record in the major leagues.
So I asked Max Rieper, manager of our SB Nation Royals site Royals Review, to give us an update on his team.