The Royals are back at Kauffman Stadium for a six-game homestand, and the timing is about as good as it can be after a rough stretch. Tampa Bay is first on the docket, followed later by the Philadelphia Phillies, but the focus right now is on a rematch with the Rays after Kansas City was outscored 18-5 in the final two games of the series at the Trop.
Kansas City also comes home after a miserable run against the White Sox, opening that set with a 22-1 loss, then dropping a 2-1 walk-off decision before finally grabbing one in the finale. So as the Rays arrive in KC, the Royals are trying to steady themselves with a few things to watch in the matchup.
The pitching matchups are set for the first three games. Noah Cameron, 4-5 with a 4.50 ERA, gets the ball in Game One against Griffin Jax, who is 3-5 with a 3.33 ERA.
Game Two brings Seth Lugo, 3-5 with a 4.19 ERA, against Shane McClanahan, who is 6-5 with a 3.30 ERA. Game Three features Stephen Kolek, 4-2 with a 4.15 ERA, while Tampa Bay’s starter has not yet been announced.
Even with the club struggling, Carter Jensen has given Royals fans something to latch onto. He is riding a 19-game hit streak and has been scorching over the last two weeks, hitting .388/.444/.653 for a 1.098 OPS. In that span, he has four home runs, 10 RBIs and four doubles.
He was also productive in the four-game set against the Rays last week, going 4-for-18 with two walks, a homer and three RBIs. Jensen also picked up hits against both announced Tampa Bay starters, which gives him another chance to keep rolling.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Jac Caglianone, meanwhile, had quieter stretches against Chicago after strong months overall. Witt was back in action for the first time since suffering a knee sprain and went 1-for-13 on the South Side with two walks and an RBI.
His lone hit was a double, and he has also had success before against McClanahan and Jax. Caglianone has had a tougher time over the last two series, going 4-for-25, with three of those hits coming in the second game against the Rays.
That was the game in which he also saw McClanahan well and hit two home runs. Over that span, he has struck out 10 times and drawn just one walk.
If Kansas City is going to make this series interesting, it needs both bats to wake up.
On the other side, Junior Caminero has been the loudest threat in the matchup. Against the Royals last week, he went 6-for-18 and launched four home runs, including three in one game. He has now homered seven times during this hot stretch and is riding a four-game home run streak.
He has already seen plenty of Kansas City pitching, and the results have varied by arm. Noah Cameron held him hitless while allowing two walks, Seth Lugo gave up two homers to him in his last start, and Stephen Kolek has not faced him yet.
With the weather heating up in Kansas City and the Royals searching for anything positive before the All-Star break, this series gives them another chance to find some traction before the season reaches that midpoint.
In Other News...
Royals Fans Are Asking The Same Painful Mitch Spence Question
Mitch Spences stay with the Royals had been hanging by a thread for a while, and the latest roster move only underscored how little margin for error he had left. Kansas City kept the right-hander around through a stretch of injuries in the pitching staff and a lack of cleaner options, but his outings kept putting the club in an impossible spot whenever it needed innings.
On Saturday, after the White Sox game, the Royals finally made the adjustment fans had been expecting, sending Spence back to Triple-A Omaha. In his place, Kansas City recalled right-hander Eric Cerantola, giving the bullpen a fresh arm and leaving the bigger question still open: whether Spence can find enough consistency in Omaha to force his way back into the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Hit With Another Lineup Twist Before Crucial White Sox Matchup
The Royals come into this one trying to stop the slide after dropping four straight, a skid that has turned a hot stretch into a rough reminder of how quickly a season can tilt. Kansas City has scored just seven runs while giving up 42 during that stretch, and the matchup with Chicago has only added to the concern, with the Royals sitting 2-7 against the White Sox this season and having lost the last six meetings.
Kansas City will try to reset behind Luinder Avila on the mound, while Bobby Witt Jr. is back at shortstop as the lineup continues to shift around him. Across the diamond, Chicago has Anthony Kay lined up for the start, another left-handed look for a Royals offense that has already seen plenty of the AL Central leaders and still has to find a way to make this one feel different. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Finally Got The White Sox Win Fans Desperately Needed
A night that had begun to feel like more of the same finally tilted Kansas Citys way, as the Royals edged the White Sox 5-4 and found a much-needed answer after a rough stretch. The result brought a brief reset to a club that had been searching for a way to stop the slide, and it came with a few encouraging individual notes mixed into the relief of simply getting back in the win column.
Lane Thomas kept his bat humming by extending his hit streak to 19 games, while Starling Marte added another small but notable line to the box score with his first stolen base of the season. Steven Cruz picked up the win, and Alex Lange finished it off for his seventh save, leaving the Royals with a victory they could use for both the standings and the mood in the clubhouse. [Read more 🡒]