Royals Tweak Lineup Again Before Series-Opener vs. White Sox
In this story:
On the heels of a four-game losing streak, the Kansas City Royals will look to get back on track with a fresh start and a new series.
After losing the final outing of their previous series, the Royals were swept in three games by the Seattle Mariners on the road. The club essentially gave away two of those three contests, which added even more frustration for a team that has been coming up just short all year long thus far. On Sunday, Carlos Hernandez got the start and bounced back from a rough first inning to give Kansas City a chance to win. Unfortunately for the Royals, they lost in 12 innings.
Aug 22, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Carlos Hernandez (43) delivers against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
After a day off on Monday, the Royals are still on the road — this time facing their American League Central rivals, the Chicago White Sox. After beginning the year 6-2, Chicago has been bitten by the injury bug and has dropped seven games in a row. Viewed as the best team in the division before the year, the White Sox have every reason to want to get back on track against the Royals in front of their home crowd. This will undoubtedly be a hard-fought series.
Here's how the Royals will line up in this evening's game:
Starting Pitchers
Kansas City: LHP Daniel Lynch (1-1, 5.40 ERA)
Chicago: LHP Dallas Keuchel (1-1, 15.00 ERA)
Kansas City Royals Starting Lineup
- Whit Merrifield (R) - RF
- Andrew Benintendi (L) - LF
- Salvador Perez (R) - C
- Carlos Santana (S) - 1B
- Hunter Dozier (R) - DH
- Bobby Witt Jr. (R) - 3B
- Adalberto Mondesi (S) - SS
- Michael A. Taylor (R) - CF
- Nicky Lopez (L) - 2B
MLB roster amounts to change soon
Aug 29, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer (51) throws the ball during the third inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
The Royals, as well as every other MLB club, began this season with 28 players on their roster. Beginning on May 2, however, that number must be cut down to 26. Among those 26 players, only 14 of them can be pitchers. Kansas City has 16 pitchers on the roster as of now, which means the franchise has some work to do. Starting on May 30, the maximum pitcher amount drops to 13. It remains to be seen who the odd men out will be over the next month-plus, but the Royals will have to sort that out relatively soon.
Daniel Lynch eyeing good start vs. White Sox
Apr 12, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Daniel Lynch (52) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Daniel Lynch's numbers this season aren't incredibly pleasing to the eye, but he's pitched better than the data indicates. The Royals' young lefty let three bad pitches lead to a trio of home runs against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 12 and last week, he didn't allow a single earned run against the Minnesota Twins. Lynch has fought through in-game adversity this season better than most developing pitchers on the team have, and Mike Matheny has taken note of that a couple of times already. If Lynch can put forth a good effort against the White Sox, that trend should only continue.
Follow Along
First Pitch: 6:10 p.m. CST
TV: Bally Sports Kansas City
Radio: KCSP 610 AM
For more Kansas City Royals news, coverage and analysis, be sure to bookmark Inside the Royals and follow the site on Twitter @InsideRoyals.
