Gamethread LVI - Twins at Royals

The Royals absolutely demolished the Twins last night. This afternoon is when we find out if all that baserunning has worn them out too much to win today’s game. Also, no, Adalberto Mondesi still is not in the starting lineup.

Mike Minor takes the mound for KC. After a slow start to the year he has put together three starts out of his last where he wasn’t half bad. He’s also on a streak of five starts in a row with at least seven strikeouts. Minor is one of only four Royals pitchers who has not yet faced the Twins this season along with the injured Jesse Hahn and Josh Staumont and the ineffective Daniel Lynch. He’s been good in his career against the Twins, though. He’s gone 4-2 with a 2.60 ERA in thirteen games including two starts. His strikeouts have been a bit lacking but he’s held them to just 34 baserunners in 27.2 innings.

José Berríos will take the mound for the Twins. Te erstwhile ace and former all-star is enjoying his best season since at least 2018. So far this year he is 5-2 with a 3.36 ERA. He has already faced the Royals once this year; he gave up four runs in six innings but struck out nine and collected the win in the first game of that eleven-game losing streak.

Speaking of that losing streak, the Royals have not lost more than two in a row at any other point this season, but have put together a pair of five-game winning streaks. If the Royals can win today they will have winning streaks sufficient to cancel out that losing streak while otherwise playing above-.500 baseball.

Lineups