The Royals’ final homestand series brings the Cubs to Kauffman Stadium, and the matchup carries a little extra juice with Chicago still grinding through its playoff push. Kansas City just took a series from the Twins, and while that finale slipped away when the bullpen faltered, the Royals still have a chance to ride that momentum into a tougher test.
The pitching matchups are set, and the opener is the one that stands out most. Daniel Lynch IV, who has spent most of his time as a reliever, will start Game One against Kevin Gausman. Game Two brings Seth Lugo opposite Clay Holmes, and Game Three matches Randy Dobnak with Matthew Boyd.
Lynch’s move back into a starting role is the biggest wrinkle of the series. On May 27, 2025, he started against the Cincinnati Reds and went 2.2 innings, giving up three hits, a run, and a walk while striking out four.
That ended up being his last start for the rest of 2025 and most of 2026 until this meeting with the Cubs. The Royals have leaned on him as their best reliever, and they probably would have preferred to use him in the Twins series finale, but for now he looks like the opener in front of whatever comes next.
There’s obvious risk in that setup. Lynch has been far better as a reliever, where he owns a 2.47 ERA, than as a starter, where his career ERA sits at 5.19.
Still, the Royals appear to be hoping he can work through the top of the Cubs order and hand things off to a bulk arm or a bullpen game. It’s not the cleanest way to begin a series, but it does give Lynch a chance to stretch his value in a different role.
Offensively, this series could set up well for Kansas City, at least on paper. The Royals have had success against Gausman, Holmes, and Boyd over time, and the current roster has some encouraging individual numbers against each of them.
Gausman owns the best track record of the three against Kansas City with a 3.25 ERA, but he’s still just 2-3 against the Royals. Bobby Witt Jr. and Starling Marte are the only current Royals with especially strong numbers against him, both carrying OPS marks above 1.100.
Holmes is a little more of a mystery for this lineup because most of his work against the Royals came out of the bullpen. Even so, he has not been sharp against them, posting a 5.28 ERA.
No current Royal has more than seven plate appearances against him, so there isn’t much of a history to lean on. It will be Holmes’ second career start against Kansas City, with the first coming last year as a Met.
Salvador Perez has a career homer off him, and John Rave has a double.
Boyd has faced the Royals a lot more often - 30 times, to be exact - and his numbers have swung quite a bit. He carries a 4.98 career ERA against Kansas City, though since 2020 he’s been much better with a 1.77 ERA.
The current Royals haven’t exactly piled up a long list of answers against him, either. Luke Maile has been the most productive bat against Boyd, with a double and a home run in seven plate appearances.
The matchup also puts two premium defenders and two hot hitters in the spotlight. Bobby Witt Jr. is back from the injured list and wasted no time producing in his first series back, going 6-for-12 with two doubles, two RBIs, a walk, and a stolen base.
He’ll also be handling his usual elite work at shortstop. Across from him, Pete Crow-Armstrong has been on a tear over the last two weeks, hitting .333/.409/.772 for a 1.181 OPS.
In that stretch, he has 19 hits, and 13 of them have gone for extra bases. He doesn’t have a huge sample against Royals pitching, but in 17 plate appearances he has posted a 1.059 OPS, and he’ll be patrolling center field at Kauffman Stadium.
For Kansas City to take the series, the formula is pretty straightforward: get some crooked numbers against the Cubs’ starters and get strong outings from Dobnak and Lugo.
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The longer view is what keeps making his case harder to dismiss. Braun has been limiting damage for a while now, with a 1.58 ERA over his last 40 innings and opponents hitting just .158 against him in that stretch, and that kind of run naturally sharpens the conversation around where he fits next. For a Royals staff that has leaned on pitchers who can pound the zone and keep hitters uncomfortable, Braun is starting to look like a name worth tracking closely. [Read more 🡒]