Bubic, Royals Eye Game Two Win Over Mariners

To say that game one of the Kansas City Royals' series against the Seattle Mariners didn't go as planned would be an understatement.

Not only did the Royals' bats fail to muster more than a run despite collecting eight hits, but starting pitcher Brad Keller committed a fourth-inning fielding error that derailed his outing. In the end, Kansas City couldn't contain Seattle enough to come away with a win and the final score was 4-1. Keller took the loss for the 5-7 Royals and Chris Flexen came away with the victory for the 8-6 Mariners.

On Saturday, the Royals are back at T-Mobile Park for another late first pitch. Kansas City is in an extended offensive funk and will look to snap out of it, whereas Seattle will simply look to build a bit more distance between itself and a .500 record. Due to a lack of such games and even a rained-out one already this year, the Royals are 0-2 away from Kauffman Stadium and are still in search of their first road victory.

Here's how the Royals will line up in this evening's game:

Starting Pitchers

Kansas City: LHP Kris Bubic (0-1, 10.80 ERA)
Seattle: RHP Matt Brash (1-1, 3.38 ERA)

Kansas City Royals Starting Lineup

Nicky Lopez (L) - 2B
Whit Merrifield (R) - CF
Andrew Benintendi (L) - LF
Salvador Perez (R) - C
Carlos Santana (S) - 1B
Hunter Dozier (R) - RF
Bobby Witt Jr. (R) - 3B
Ryan O'Hearn (L) - DH
Adalberto Mondesi (S) - SS

Whit Merrifield continues his shuffle

It's been a wild week for one Whit Merrifield, as he not only saw his streak as the Royals' leadoff hitter snapped, but he also didn't field in Friday's game. He served as the designated hitter, and he'll now be playing in center field on Saturday. Merrifield's positional versatility is still one of his main calling cards, as is his speed. He's struggled immensely at the plate, slashing just .125/.160/.146 with a pair of RBIs thus far. The Royals will continue to find ways to get value from him while he searches for answers, but the pressure is on for his numbers to improve.

Can Kris Bubic strike a balance against Seattle?

After flashing a seemingly high floor as a back-of-the-rotation starter last season, Kris Bubic has gotten off on the wrong foot to start 2022. He didn't make it out of the first inning in his season debut and in his last start, he went 4-1/3 innings but walked six batters. Bubic possesses quality offerings and is more of a control-based pitcher than some of his peers, although that control hasn't been there over the last couple of weeks. His ERA has ballooned to over 10, but one quality start can decrease that figure drastically. He'll look to get back on track against the Mariners lineup that eventually got to Keller during Friday's game.

Follow Along

First Pitch: 8:10 p.m. CST
TV: Bally Sports Kansas City
Radio: KCSP 610 AM