3 Giants Matchups That Matter in Lineup Against Royals, Michael Wacha

The San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals are two lowly baseball teams. Pretty much nothing has gone right for either side throughout the entirety of 2026.

San Francisco opened the second half of the season with a series loss to the Seattle Mariners. Sure, the 7-0 victory on July 17 was something the franchise desperately required, but the 4-3 and 6-3 defeats over the weekend put the organization right back in its place.

The same goes for the Royals. Heading into the All-Star break, there was not a ton of reason for hope. Series defeats to the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles brought the vibes down to their absolute lowest. But then a series win over the San Diego Padres this past weekend showed that perhaps not all hope is lost after all. We'll see if that holds up against the Giants.

Perhaps the most intriguing storyline for this series is that it's a rematch of the 2014 World Series, which saw the Giants claim their third title of the 21st century in seven games. It was one of the most memorable World Series in recent history, and Giants fans will be happy to relive those good times in the midst of their tribulation.

Here is Monday's lineup and three matchups that matter to the Giants.

San Francisco Giants Lineup for July 20, 2026

1. 2B Luis Arraez (L)
2. 1B Bryce Eldridge (L)
3. 3B Casey Schmitt
4. DH Rafael Devers (L)
5. LF Heliot Ramos
6. RF Jung Hoo Lee (L)
7. SS Willy Adames
8. CF Drew Gilbert (L)
9. C Daniel Susac

San Francisco Giants at Kansas City Royals

San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Where: Kauffman Stadium — Kansas City, Missouri
Time: 4:40 p.m. PDT
TV: Giants — NBC Sports Bay Area; Royals — Royals.TV
Radio: Giants — KNBR 680, 1510 AM, KSFN; Royals — 96.5 The Fan, Royals Radio Network

Starting Pitchers

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Trevor McDonald. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Giants: RHP Trevor McDonald (3-7, 5.02 ERA) vs. Royals: RHP Michael Wacha (5-7, 3.77 ERA)

Giants Matchups That Matter

Luis Arraez: What Arraez can do against Michael Wacha will be crucial to the Giants' success in tonight's game. He's faced him on 16 different occasions, slashing .375/.375/.750 with two home runs and five RBIs. That's quite surprising for a player like Arraez, who doesn't possess a lot of pop, which makes this matchup one of the most intriguing of the night for both sides.

Willy Adames: Much like Arraez, Adames has found some fairly good success against Wacha throughout his career. He's recorded three hits, one of which was a home run, over the course of eight plate appearances against the veteran right-hander. While that isn't a large sample size, it does show that there is reason to believe that at least two of the Giants' hitters tonight have an edge. That's significant.

Rafael Devers: While Arraez and Adames will feel comfortable stepping into the box against Wacha, Devers probably won't. Yes, he's starting to hit a little better after a bad start, but he's never recorded a hit against Wacha. All he has to his name is a single walk. If Devers can find a way to reverse that trend, then the Giants could have a recipe for a much-needed victory.

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