Royals Shuffle Lineup Before Series Finale Against Rockies
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Presented with the opportunity to clinch a series win against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night, the Kansas City Royals failed to accomplish their goal.
The club was seemingly doomed from the start, as Carlos Hernandez surrendered a first-inning home run and allowed things to go downhill from there. In just four innings of work, the 25-year-old righty was charged with nine earned runs. By the end of the night, the Rockies had secured a convincing 10-4 victory.
May 14, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Carlos Hernandez (43) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
On Sunday afternoon, the Royals are back at Coors Field for the final contest of their three-game set in Colorado. After that, they head back to Kansas City for a homestand against some American League Central rivals. First up, Brad Keller is slated to start Monday's game against the Chicago White Sox. The next week-plus is perhaps the most important of the Royals' season thus far, as they can gain some ground in the division with some success against those familiar foes.
Here's how the Royals will line up in this afternoon's game:
Starting Pitchers
Kansas City: LHP Daniel Lynch (2-2, 4.01 ERA)
Colorado: LHP Austin Gomber (2-3, 4.36 ERA)
Kansas City Royals Starting Lineup
- Whit Merrifield (R) - RF
- Michael A. Taylor (R) - CF
- Salvador Perez (R) - DH
- Carlos Santana (S) - 1B
- Hunter Dozier (R) - LF
- Bobby Witt Jr. (R) - SS
- MJ Melendez (L) - C
- Emmanuel Rivera (R) - 3B
- Nicky Lopez (L) - 2B
Michael A. Taylor elevated in lineup, fielders shuffled
For the first time this season, the Royals are putting Michael A. Taylor in the two-hole in the batting order. Prior to Sunday, the 31-year-old had hit either seventh, eighth or ninth in the order on the year. The shuffle makes some sense, as Taylor is currently posting a career-best walk rate (12.6%) and is striking out less often than he ever has (19.4%). He also hit .295 against left-handed pitchers last year, so playing him in this spot against Gomber isn't a terrible idea.
Elsewhere in the lineup, the Royals are putting MJ Melendez back in. He'll work behind the plate while Salvador Perez gets a hit-only day. Carlos Santana is back in the lineup and will man first base, moving Hunter Dozier to left field (Andrew Benintendi isn't in the lineup). The Emmanuel Rivera experiment is also a go, as he's slotted in the eight-hole and will defend at the hot corner. This is one of the more unique Royals lineups of the season, but perhaps it will unlock something on either side.
Daniel Lynch looking to bounce back
May 1, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Daniel Lynch (52) delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Daniel Lynch has had his fair share of impressive moments this year, but his last start didn't feature many of them. The lefty went just 3-2/3 innings against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing three hits and three runs (two earned) in the process while tossing a whopping 95 pitches. Lynch also walked a season-high four batters. He headed into that outing on the heels of two stellar starts and another decent one, so perhaps last week's game was an outlier. If it was, expect Lynch to get back on track on Sunday — even in hostile territory at a hitter-friendly ballpark.
Follow Along
First Pitch: 2:10 p.m. CST
TV: Bally Sports Kansas City
Radio: KCSP 610 AM
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