Whit Merrifield’s Iron Man Streak Ends Ahead of Tigers Doubleheader
The Kansas City Royals defeated the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, clinching their first home series victory since mid-April against the Minnesota Twins.
In Sunday's game, it was starting pitcher Zack Greinke who led the way for the winning team. In five shutout innings of work, the veteran allowed three hits and a walk while tying his season-high with five strikeouts and also tossing his 50,000th career pitch at the big-league level. On offense, the Royals had four singles that led to all five of their runs being scored in the 5-1 series-clinching win.
On Monday, the 32-52 Royals are back home at Kauffman Stadium and are hosting their American League Central rivals in the 36-49 Detroit Tigers. This is the first of two Monday outings between the two clubs, as the evening contest will feature RHP Alex Faedo squaring off against LHP Daniel Lynch. With a series sweep, Kansas City can overtake Detroit in the AL Central standings by having a one-game advantage in the loss column.
Here's how the Royals will line up in this afternoon's game:
Starting Pitchers (game one)
Kansas City: RHP Brad Keller (4-9, 4.37 ERA)
Detroit: RHP Michael Pineda (2-3, 3.62 ERA)
Kansas City Royals Starting Lineup (game one)
- Michael A. Taylor (R) - DH
- Andrew Benintendi (L) - LF
- Bobby Witt Jr. (R) - SS
- Vinnie Pasquantino (L) - 1B
- Emmanuel Rivera (R) - 3B
- Ryan O'Hearn (L) - RF
- Kyle Isbel (L) - CF
- Cam Gallagher (R) - C
- Nicky Lopez (L) - 2B
Whit Merrifield's consecutive games played streak ends
The section header in Monday's Royals game notes says it all: All good things must end. Unfortunately for the Royals, this applied to Whit Merrifield's franchise-record consecutive games played streak as well. For the first time since June of 2018, Merrifield will not play in a game for Kansas City as he recovers from a right-toe injury that currently has him in a walking boot and could have him miss a couple of weeks. This ends his streak at 553 contests, which is the 25th-longest streak in the history of Major League Baseball and trailed the legendary Cal Ripken Jr.'s all-time record by 2,079 games. Merrifield has been a mainstay in the Royals' lineup for years on end and as he deals with this injury, the club will look to offset his loss both in the field and in the batter's box.
Royals announce flurry of Monday morning roster moves
In advance of their Monday doubleheader, the Royals shuffled some things around in regards to their active roster picture. LHP Angel Zerpa was recalled and made the club's 27th man, and LHP Daniel Lynch rejoined the team after a rehab stint in an effort to work his way back from a blister. Lynch is the aforementioned starter for the evening game on Monday. In a corresponding move, Kansas City has designated LHP Foster Griffin for assignment. In 41/3 innings with the big-league club this year, Griffin has surrendered six earned runs and issued four walks.
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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.