I-70 Series Preview
Royals look to rebound after losing 2 of 3 to Houston
The Royals are back home this weekend after a disappointing three game trip to Houston. KC dropped 2 of 3 to the Astros. They won the series opener 7-5, then fell 2-1 and 4-3. Ironically it was the game they won that may have cost them a chance to take the series.
On Monday in the series opener, the Royals were up 7-0 going in to the bottom of the 7th inning. Houston then pushed across 2 runs in the 7th and 3 more in the 8th, requiring manager Matt Quatraro to use both Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estevez to close out a 7-5 win that should have been a laugher.
In the series finale on Wednesday the Royals were up 3-2 going in to the bottom of the 8th. Erceg wasn’t available since he had pitched two games in a row so Q sent starter Michael Lorenzen back out for the 8th. Lorenzen gave up a single and a double, tying the score at 3. Carlos Estevez came in and immediately gave up a single to Jeremy Pena that drove in the game winning run.
None of the hits were well struck, but they were hits all the same. The Royals couldn’t muster anything in the ninth inning and lost their second straight series.
SCOREBOARD WATCHING
The Royals stand 25-20, good for third place in the AL Central, 4.5 games back of the Tigers and 1 game back of the Guardians. Maybe a bigger concern are the lava-hot Minnesota Twins, winners of their last 11 games in a row. The Twins have climbed to 24-20 and are only 0.5 games back of the Royals.
The Tigers are in Toronto to play the Blue Jays this weekend, while Cleveland is in Cincinnati to face the Reds and Minnesota is in Milwaukee for a series with the Brewers.
UP NEXT
Our cross-state friends the St. Louis Cardinals are in town for a 3 game renewal of the I-70 series. Although I wouldn’t classify this as a heated rivalry anymore, it still yanks my chain to see all that red at Kauffman Stadium. Perhaps we won’t see as much of that this year as Cardinals attendance at home is down almost 20% from last year and almost 30% from 2023.
2025 started out rough for the Cardinals, but they are hot having won 9 of their last 10 games pushing their record to 24-20. They have the 9th best offense in baseball as measured by their team WRC+ of 110. A lot of that is driven by their team OBP of .338, behind only the Yankees and the Dodgers. Hopefully the Royals can erase some baserunners via the double play, the Cardinals have hit into the 4th most (35) in baseball.
St. Louis pitching has been average to good so far in 2025. They have a team ERA of 3.85 (13th) and WHIP of 1.24 (11th), and there isn’t much difference when you break the numbers down to starters and relievers. They don’t strike guys out much, but they also limit home runs (3rd in HR/9 at 0.66).
Pitching Matchups
Tonight - Andre Pallante (3-2, 4.36) vs Cole Ragans (2-2, 4.20) Royals fans really need to see a strong performance from Ragans tonight. The lefty has allowed 13 ERs and 19 hits over his last 17 innings. Not great Bob.
Saturday - Miles Mikolas (2-2, 4.35) vs Seth Lugo (3-4, 3.02)
Sunday - Matthew Liberatore (3-3, 3.11) vs Michael Wacha (3-4, 2.96) Wacha has been great recently, only allowing 5 ERs in his last 4 starts covering 25 2/3 innings.
For a deep dive into tonight’s St. Louis starter, check out today’s post from Royals Data Dugout!
After losing series to Boston and Houston, the Royals need to get back on track and take at least 2 from the Cardinals this weekend. Sunday’s weather looks a little sketchy, so get out to the K tonight and tomorrow night and for crying out loud wear blue! This is also Champions Weekend at the K as the team celebrates the World Series champs of 1985 and 2015. Be sure to be in your seats early!
Love it, thanks for the shoutout! Will be out there Sunday.