Salvador Perez Back in the Lineup As Royals Go For Sweep Against the Cubs
The Kansas City Royals have been playing some good baseball lately, and they'll look to continue that trend on Sunday in their series finale against the Chicago Cubs.
In the first two games of a 10-game road trip, the Royals have won by final scores of 6-2 and 4-2. Yesterday's gem by Kris Bubic was derailed by a rain delay in which no actual rain fell on the field — an odd occurrence, to say the least. Bubic tossed six innings of no-hit baseball before the delay threw him out of rhythm.
The Royals, winners of five of their last six games, have Salvador Perez back in the starting lineup after he served as a pinch-hitter late in Saturday's contest. Perez went hitless in his only at-bat but is enjoying quite the season at age 31.
Here's how the Royals stack up as they try to go for the sweep.
Pitching Probables
Kansas City: RHP Carlos Hernandez (3-1, 4.33 ERA)
Chicago: RHP Alec Mills (5-5, 4.19 ERA)
Kansas City Royals Starting Lineup
- Whit Merrifield (R) - 2B
- Nicky Lopez (L) - SS
- Salvador Perez (R) - C
- Andrew Benintendi (L) - LF
- Carlos Santana (S) - 1B
- Hunter Dozier (R) - RF
- Michael A. Taylor (R) - CF
- Emmanuel Rivera (R) - 3B
- Hernandez (R) - P
Hernandez Looking to Bounce Back
Hernandez's last start wasn't extremely kind to him, as he surrendered eight hits and gave up four earned runs in the process. In his three starts prior, though, he was excellent. During that stretch, the big-armed righty posted a 1.02 ERA in 17.2 innings while striking out 13. If he can get back on track against a depleted Cubs lineup, it will go a long way towards projecting the rest of his 2021 campaign.
Lopez Continues to Win
Lopez has managed to emerge as one of the Royals' best players this season. Entering Sunday's game, the second-baseman-turned-shortstop is hitting .279 and is coming off a three-hit outing that included a double. Lopez has had one of the best weeks possible, as he also recently got engaged and hit his first home run of the year. For the Royals' sake, they must be hoping that he can ride that wave of confidence and performance into today's matchup.
Kyle Zimmer Injury Update
Zimmer, who hasn't pitched with the Royals since Aug. 3, has been on a rehab stint with the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers as of late. He's progressing after suffering neck spasms earlier this month. On the year, Zimmer sports a 4.83 ERA that was a tidy 2.45 just a month before he was placed on the injured list. If he can get healthy and return to form soon, he will bolster the back end of the Royals' bullpen as they wrap up the season over the next month-and-change.
Follow Along
First Pitch: 1:20 p.m. CST
TV: Bally Sports Kansas City
Radio: 610 Sports Radio
