Royals vs Twins, Game Thread #53

Lets score some runs

Coming off a devastating loss last night, the Royals hope to bounce back in game two of a three-game series with the Twins in Minnesota. The Royals kept the game tied due to an incredible performance from budding star Noah Cameron, who only allowed one run over 6.2 innings. Things appeared to be in order, as Quatraro handed the ball to star reliever Lucas Erceg to send the game to extras, but a hung slider to Ty France and he took it 403 feet to end the game with a 2-run walk-off home run.

It appeared to be another Royals classic where the offense could not drive in runners and only scored one run through nine innings. The team consistently had runners on base, but poor base running combined with a lack of timely hits resulted in just one run on the board. The Royals spoiled yet another incredible pitching performance, and simply put, the offense needs to be better the rest of this series if they want to get some wins in Minnesota.

The Royals have been getting hits, and finding ways on base has not been a struggle for them recently. But the off runs are not being scored, and the team will need to be able to hit with runners in scoring position if they want to find success going forward.

Today, Michael Wacha will take the mound for the Royals, entering the game with an ERA of 2.86. Wacha has been incredible on the mound this year for the Royals, forcing soft contact and keeping hitters’ timing off consistently through each of his starts. The concern for the Royals will not be Michael Wacha or any of the pitchers, for that matter, as the offense will need to give them some support if they want to come away with a much-needed win.

Today for the Twins, Zebby Matthews will take the mound, who has only pitched in one game as a starter and struggled immensely. Matthews went three innings in his only start of the year and will enter today’s game with a 12.00 ERA. In 2024, Matthews posted a 6.69 ERA and has struggled in his major league career thus far.

The young 25-year-old pitcher has shown signs of good stuff but has struggled, and the Royals’ offense will hope to take advantage today to get back on track with a big win. Matthews does not walk many hitters, and the Royals will want to look for him to make mistakes in the middle and attack him early in the count to find success today.

Offensively, the Royals bring a traditional lineup, with their top 5 hitters remaining consistent. Salvador Perez is back from his illness, but unfortunately, has passed it on to Kyle Isbel, who has been one of the better Royals hitters as of late. This allows Mark Canha to find a spot in right field, and Drew Waters will move to center. Perez will be the DH today as he returns from his illness, and Freddy Fermin will be back behind the plate again today. With Wacha on the mound, the Royals will look to attack early and get him some insurance to come away with the win.

The Twins go with a very new lineup, with Jeffers out, Larnach becomes the leadoff hitter, and Ty France moves up after his walk-off home run last night. France has always been good against the Royals, and it makes sense to have him higher the rest of the series. The Twins follow this up with Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis, two of their best hitters as well, with hopes they can drive in some runs after their offensive struggles last night against Noah Cameron.

Kody Clemens comes in at second and will hit in the five hole while Harrison Bader and Willie Castro return in the outfield. The Twins’ lineup closes with DaShawn Keirsery Jr in left and Christian Vasquez behind the plate to give Jeffers a day off. The Twins load their lineup with lefties today, hoping to get after Michael Wacha early and come away with a win to even the season series with the Royals.