Today, the Royals will look to avoid being swept, following two devastating losses in the first two games of a crucial three-game series against the Angels. As we enter the final weeks of the season, with the Royals clinging to life, they need to get hot… Fast. The Royals are 2.5 games back on the Seattle Mariners for the last AL Wild Card spot, and now, more than ever, they need to come away with a big win.
In game one, the Royals took an early 1-0 lead, and Michael Lorenzen seemed to be cruising
until a two-run home run in the sixth gave the Angels the lead. From there, everything unraveled, and the Royals went on to lose 5-1. In game two, once again, the Royals got off to an early lead, and Ryan Bergert was carrying a shutout into the sixth inning. But the Angels put up a three-run sixth, and despite the Royals tying it in the 7th, the Angels put up one in the eighth, and the Royals dropped game two 4-3.
Noah Cameron will take the mound for the Royals for the first time since his worst outing of the season on 8/25 against the White Sox. Cameron went five innings but gave up six earned runs and two home runs. The Royals elected to skip his last scheduled start against the Tigers to give him some extra rest, and he will enter today’s game with ten days of rest. The Royals are counting on the rookie star to bounce back and give them a strong start today to keep them in the playoff chase.
For the Angels, Kyle Hendricks will take the mound for his 27th start of the year, carrying a 4.89 ERA into today’s game. The 35-year-old Hendricks is in his 10th year of major league play and is one of the softest-pitching starters in baseball. His fastball sits around 87 MPH and leans heavily on his changeup to keep hitters timing off. The Royals will need to sit back and wait for Hendricks to leave something in the middle and take advantage of misses as often as possible.
The Royals will continue their home stretch with the Twins starting tomorrow at 6:40 before they head to Cleveland next week. Matt Quatraro will have the team focused on today’s game, but the Royals have some very important games coming up. The Royals dropped two of their last three against the Twins the last time the two teams met in Minnesota, and gaining some positive momentum before that series is critical.
First pitch is at 6:40 CT
Offensively for the Royals, Carter Jensen gets his first career start, filling the DH role and hitting 8th. The Royals are pulling out all the stops, with six of their nine hitters being lefties, looking to take advantage of the soft-tossing right-hander in Hendricks. Yaz fills his regular leadoff role against righties, and Adam Frazier is in left while Michael Massey is back at his natural position, second base.
Mike Trout is back in the lineup for the Angels after missing the first two games with a skin infection. The Angels will look to attack Noah Cameron early, with all nine of their hitters batting from the right side. Noah Cameron will need to shake off his poor start against the White Sox and hammer the inside of the zone if he wants to find success tonight.
