Royals Recall Angel Zerpa Before Game Two vs. Orioles
Don't look now, but the Kansas City Royals have won two games in a row.
After defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the final game of their series, Kansas City opened its set against the Baltimore Orioles with a victory on Thursday night. In a 7-5 win, it was the trio of Salvador Perez, MJ Melendez and Carlos Santana that did the heavy lifting with their bats. Starter Kris Bubic wasn't very sharp, pitching four-plus innings while giving up four runs on six hits. The Royals' bullpen was a tad bit shaky but despite that, the club was able to shut things down in the end.
Jun 4, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic (50) pitching against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
On Friday night, the 19-37 Royals are back at Kauffman Stadium and will host the 24-34 Orioles for the second game of their four-game set in Kansas City. Pitching probables for the rest of the weekend slate are Tyler Wells vs. Daniel Lynch on Saturday and Dean Kremer vs. Brad Keller in the Sunday finale. After that, the Royals head to California for a series against the San Francisco Giants.
Here's how the Royals will line up in this evening's game:
Starting Pitchers
Kansas City: RHP Jonathan Heasley (0-3, 4.62 ERA)
Baltimore: LHP Bruce Zimmerman (2-4, 4.87 ERA)
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Kansas City Royals Starting Lineup
- Whit Merrifield (R) - RF
- Andrew Benintendi (L) - LF
- Bobby Witt Jr. (R) - SS
- Salvador Perez (R) - C
- MJ Melendez (L) - RF
- Hunter Dozier (R) - DH
- Carlos Santana (S) - 1B
- Emmanuel Rivera (R) - 3B
- Michael A. Taylor (R) - CF
Royals promote Angel Zerpa, demote Collin Snider
May 30, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Collin Snider (40) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Before Friday's game, the Royals announced a roster move that saw a swap of players from the minors to the big-league club. Coming up to rejoin Kansas City is LHP Angel Zerpa, who posted a 4.79 ERA in nine starts with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Zerpa appeared in one game with the Royals last season, making a five-inning start and not allowing a single run. Leaving Kansas City is RHP Collin Snider, who has appeared in more games than any Royal reliever this season (27). In those outings, however, Snider has struggled. His 7.71 ERA and 4.71 BB/9 are alarming, and he'll get a chance to make some adjustments in Triple-A Omaha before possibly rejoining the Royals down the road.
Jonathan Heasley still eyeing first win of 2022
May 24, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Jonathan Heasley throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Taking the mound for the Royals on Friday evening is Jonathan Heasley, who has started five games for the club thus far in 2022. In those outings, the 25-year-old righty has walked 18 batters while striking out 15 in 251/3 innings. Heasley has allowed just under one hit per inning and hasn't been able to flash his patented command over the course of his season just yet. With that said he's tossed back-to-back quality starts and will be looking to do so again en route to securing his first win of the year. The Orioles' lineup is far from scary, so perhaps Heasley can accomplish that feat in front of the home crowd.
Follow Along
First Pitch: 7:10 p.m. CST
TV: Bally Sports Kansas City
Radio: KCSP 610 AM
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