The Giants head into Monday afternoon in Kansas City still searching for traction, and the matchup with the Royals gives them a familiar name on the mound in Michael Wacha. It also brings a lineup that will try to cash in on a few past successes against him.
San Francisco is coming off a rough opening to the second half, splitting the weekend in the wrong direction after a 7-0 win on July 17. The 4-3 and 6-3 losses to the Mariners quickly pushed the Giants back into the same frustrating spot they’ve occupied for much of 2026. Kansas City has had its own stretch of bad news, dropping series to the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles before finally grabbing a series win over the San Diego Padres this past weekend.
The game also carries a bit of extra flavor as a rematch of the 2014 World Series, the seven-game fight that ended with the Giants taking home their third title of the 21st century. That’s the kind of backdrop that can make even a midseason game feel a little heavier.
Here’s how the Giants line up behind Trevor McDonald, who enters at 3-7 with a 5.02 ERA, against Wacha, who is 5-7 with a 3.77 ERA:
2B Luis Arraez (L)
1B Bryce Eldridge (L)
3B Casey Schmitt
DH Rafael Devers (L)
LF Heliot Ramos
RF Jung Hoo Lee (L)
SS Willy Adames
CF Drew Gilbert (L)
C Daniel Susac
First pitch is set for 4:40 p.m. PDT at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The game will air on NBC Sports Bay Area for Giants fans and Royals.TV for Kansas City, with radio coverage on KNBR 680, 1510 AM and KSFN, plus 96.5 The Fan and the Royals Radio Network.
The most important individual battle may belong to Luis Arraez. He has seen Wacha 16 times and has done serious damage, batting .375/.375/.750 with two home runs and five RBIs. For a hitter known more for contact than power, that kind of production stands out.
Willy Adames has also handled Wacha well enough to matter. In eight plate appearances against the right-hander, Adames has three hits, including a home run. It’s a small sample, but it gives the Giants another bat with a track record they can point to.
Rafael Devers is the opposite story. He’s starting to swing it better after a slow beginning, but he has never collected a hit against Wacha.
His only result in the matchup is a walk. If Devers can finally break through, it could be a big piece of what the Giants need to come away with a win.
In Other News...
Royals Finally Have A Few Surprise Answers Fans Did Not Expect
Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez have carried the familiar weight in Kansas City this season, but the more interesting part of the Royals 2026 story has come from the margins. With the club unlikely to push into the postseason, the focus has shifted to whether the supporting cast can give the front office something real to work with, and Michael Massey and Nick Loftin have both done more than simply fill space.
Masseys rebound has made him look like a useful everyday piece again, while Loftin has quietly turned into one of the more intriguing depth answers on the roster. The Royals still have bigger questions than the ones these two can solve, but performances like these matter because they hint at a cleaner path forward, even if the larger season is headed toward an unsatisfying finish. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Fans Wont Love Where This Failed Bullpen Move Resurfaced
The Royals added left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer on a minor league contract, giving themselves a low-cost look at a pitcher who has already bounced through a couple of organizations this season. For Kansas City, it is the kind of depth move that can matter later if the bullpen needs another arm, especially since the club is only on the hook for a prorated league minimum if he eventually gets called up.
Bummers path to Kansas City has not exactly been a smooth one, after Atlanta released him in May and he spent a brief stretch in the Cubs minor league system before this latest stop. The Braves are still covering most of his salary, which makes the Royals gamble pretty modest, but it also underscores how much the left-hander has to show before this becomes more than another name on the organizational depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Fans Have Been Waiting For A Start Like This
Kendry Chourios move to the Royals high Class A club has already given the organization a glimpse of why the arm has generated so much attention. In an 11-0 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, he and Emmanuel Reyes combined on a no-hitter, with Chourio setting the tone by missing bats from the start and Reyes taking over in relief to finish the job. It was the kind of outing that can change the feel around a young pitcher fast, especially when the stuff is playing at that level.
Reyes had never worked out of the bullpen before, but he handled the final four innings without allowing a baserunner and picked up his first career save. For Kansas City, the bigger takeaway may be how Chourio has stacked strong outings on top of one another since a rough first start at the level, turning his promotion into something much more than a developmental checkpoint. The challenge now is whether he can keep carrying that momentum as the competition gets more demanding. [Read more 🡒]