Lynch, Royals Going For Sweep of Angels on Wednesday
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Don't call it a hot streak, but the Kansas City Royals have won five of their last six contests.
Tuesday night's outing was a hard-fought victory that saw both teams scratch and claw throughout the night and into the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Carlos Santana and Bobby Witt Jr. were the stars of the night, combining for seven hits and nine RBIs against the Los Angeles Angels. Starter Jonathan Heasley was extremely sharp for most of the game, although he did surrender a pair of served-up home runs that led to him allowing four earned runs through his five innings of work. In the end, Kansas City's bats propelled the club to a 12-11 victory.
On Wednesday, the 25-42 Royals are back at Anaheim Stadium and will be looking for their first sweep of the season as they face the 33-38 Angels. Things have been looking up for the Royals' offense as of late but on the flip side, their pitching staff has struggled for the most part. After the conclusion of this series, the Royals have an off day in Kansas City before beginning a home set against the Oakland Athletics. Pitching probables for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are Zack Greinke, Brad Keller and Brady Singer.
Here's how the Royals will line up in tonight's game:
Starting Pitchers
Kansas City: LHP Daniel Lynch (3-6, 5.19 ERA)
Los Angeles: RHP Shohei Ohtani (5-4, 3.28 ERA)
Kansas City Royals Starting Lineup
- Whit Merrifield (R) - RF
- Andrew Benintendi (L) - LF
- Bobby Witt Jr. (R) - SS
- MJ Melendez (L) - C
- Hunter Dozier (R) - DH
- Carlos Santana (S) - 1B
- Kyle Isbel (L) - CF
- Emmanuel Rivera (R) - 3B
- Nicky Lopez (L) - 2B
Gabe Speier optioned to Omaha, Foster Griffin recalled
In advance of their Wednesday night game, the Royals have announced that LHP Gabe Speier has been optioned to Triple-A Omaha and in his place, LHP Foster Griffin will be rejoining the big-league club. Speier pitched 2/3 of an inning on Tuesday night, allowing one hit and no runs. Griffin, on the other hand, will be back up with the MLB team for the third time in 2022. He was sent down to Omaha on June 3 and since then, he tossed four scoreless innings for the Storm Chasers. Now, after nearly two weeks off from any in-game competition, he may be used out of the Royals' shorthanded bullpen in their series finale.
Daniel Lynch looks to keep momentum going in California
After a string of lackluster starts, Daniel Lynch was tremendous on June 17 in Oakland against the Athletics. Across five innings, the young lefty surrendered just four hits and a lone earned run while walking a pair of hitters. He tossed 99 pitches, and he notched a career-high 10 strikeouts in the process. Lynch had a great feel for his offerings last week, and he'll look to keep that momentum going against the Angels as the Royals aim to complete the sweep. It's been an up-and-down season for Lynch but if he's anything like he was just five days ago, the ups will continue on Wednesday night in California.
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Jordan Foote is the editor-in-chief of Inside the Royals, as well as the deputy editor of Arrowhead Report and a producer for Kansas City Sports Network. Jordan is a Baker University alumnus, earning his degree in Mass Media with a minor in Sports Administration. Follow him on Twitter @footenoted.