Game XXXVII: Royals v. White Sox

As it turns out, baseball can be pretty fun when the kids get to play. Bobby Witt Jr. and MJ Melendez both went 2-4 with homers in last night’s 6-2 win over the White Sox.

Bobby’s was of the mammoth variety.

While MJ went oppo-taco.

And Zack Greinke went 5.2 innings strong. No, he’s not one of the kids, but he’s still fun. Especially when he’s helping MJ’s dreams to come true.

Long story short, this team isn’t all that good, but they can be fun when the right guys are playing. With the Royals a bit injured at catcher, it looks like MJ will be getting a lot more time on the field and he’s already hitting. Bob has struggled at the plate this season, but his OPS+ is up to 94 and climbing as he has been getting more action at shortstop.

With Michael A. Taylor headed to the IL, Kyle Isbel will also be getting some more time in centerfield. Injuries are not good, but they do bring opportunities. We see that today more than ever, with six of the Royals 10 starters being 25 or younger and only two 30 years olds in the lineup.

They’re in their City Connect uniforms today and are looking to take three of four from the White Sox. A win today would give them back-to-back series wins for the first time all season and a 2-0 season series lead over the South Siders.

Carlos Hernandez heads to the mound for Kansas City, looking to right the ship in what has been a rough start to the season. In six starts, he’s made it into the 6th innings just once and has given up 15 runs across his last 8.2 innings, including a brutal nine run outing last week in Colorado. So far this season, opposing batters are hitting a whopping .359 against the righty.

He’ll be opposed by Vince Velasquez, who is coming off of a similarly terrible start, giving up seven run sin his last outing against New York.

Here are your lineups for today’s matinee: