The Kansas City Royals are reeling, as their losing streak has now reached five games.
On Friday night, Kansas City hosted Houston and ended up losing by a final score of 10-3. Starting pitcher Brady Singer allowed seven runs in five innings of work, digging the lineup into a hole it couldn’t get out of. The only three runs the Royals scored in the game came via a Bobby Witt Jr. home run in the bottom of the sixth frame, which was one of the lone bright spots for Kansas City’s bats.
June 3, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer (51) reacts after giving up a home run to Houston Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez (44) during the fifth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
On Saturday afternoon, the 16-34 Royals are back at Kauffman Stadium and squaring off against the 34-18 Astros in game two of their three-game set. Pitching probables for Sunday’s series finale are Jonathan Heasley for Kansas City and Framber Valdez for Houston. After that, the Royals will remain at home for a set against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. Kansas City’s likely for those outings are Daniel Lynch, Brad Keller and Brady Singer.
Here’s how the Royals will line up in this afternoon’s game:
Starting Pitchers
Kansas City: LHP Kris Bubic (0-3, 12.83 ERA)
Houston: RHP Luis Garcia (3-3, 3.14 ERA)
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Kansas City Royals Starting Lineup
- Whit Merrifield (R) – DH
- Andrew Benintendi (L) – LF
- Bobby Witt Jr. (R) – SS
- Salvador Perez (R) – C
- MJ Melendez (L) – RF
- Hunter Dozier (R) – 1B
- Emmanuel Rivera (R) – 3B
- Michael A. Taylor (R) – CF
- Nicky Lopez (L) – 2B
Michael A. Taylor returns to Royals’ lineup
May 1, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Michael A. Taylor (2) fields a fly ball against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
After being reinstated from the Injured List on Friday and following a brief rehab assignment in Triple-A Omaha in the days prior, Royals outfielder Michael A. Taylor is officially back in the club’s starting lineup. This season, Taylor is slashing .238/.333/.337 with a pair of home runs and 12 RBIs. He last played on May 17 and will look to get back on track against Garcia on Saturday, just under three weeks later. On the year, Taylor’s batting average against righties (.261) is markedly better than his average against lefties (.188), so Kansas City may have picked a good day for him to be re-inserted into the lineup.
Ronald Bolaños optioned to Omaha, Kris Bubic recalled
May 4, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic (50) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
With a need for starting pitching, the Royals optioned RHP Ronald Bolaños to Triple-A and recalled LHP Kris Bubic. Bubic, who was optioned to Omaha on May 12, made three starts with the Storm Chasers. During that span, he struck out 17 hitters while allowing just four walks. Bubic’s 2022 season numbers are n’t very appealing at the big-league level, as his command of him has been spotty and he’s allowed 19 runs in 131/3 innings. The lefty found some extra velocity during his brief stint in the bullpen but now that he’s back to starting, he’ll have to be accurate in order to stick. Saturday’s start is the first step.
Follow Along
First Pitch: 3:10 p.m. CST
TV: Bally Sports Kansas City
Radio: KCSP 610 AM
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism