Royals Head West to Begin Seven-Game Road Trip With Angels
The Kansas City Royals (29-28) take on the Los Angeles Angels (27-32) to begin their first of two series as they take a road trip to the West Coast this week.
Pitching Probables
Monday
Los Angeles: RHP Dylan Bundy (0-6, 6.94 ERA)
Kansas City: RHP Jackson Kowar (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Tuesday
Los Angeles: LHP Andrew Heaney (3-3, 4.76 ERA)
Kansas City: LHP Kris Bubic (1-0, 2.12 ERA)
Wednesday
Los Angeles: RHP Griffin Canning (4-4, 5.82 ERA)
Kansas City: RHP Brad Keller (6-4, 5.50 ERA)
Recent Performance
The talented Angels roster has yielded less than desirable results on the season. At 27-32 on the year, the Angels sit fourth in the American League West and seven games behind the Oakland Athletics. In their last ten games, Los Angeles has been as average as possible; splitting a four-game series against the A's, a two-game series against the San Francisco Giants and most recently a four-game series against the Seattle Mariners. Sticking with the theme of average, the Angels hold just a 15-16 record in Angel Stadium this season. The Royals saw the Angels in early April and were able to take two of the three contests in Kauffman Stadium.
What to Watch For
Everyone loves watching a highly anticipated big league debut. On Monday evening, the Royals' fourth-ranked prospect, right-handed pitcher Jackson Kowar, gets the starting nod in what will be his first-ever big league appearance. Kowar was dominating in Triple-A Omaha with a 5-0 record and 0.85 ERA in six outings. Kowar will take on an Angels lineup that has been missing their best player since mid-May but still has talent throughout the lineup. With Danny Duffy still rehabbing to come back from a left forearm flexor strain, a solid showing from Kowar may be enough to keep him up on the roster with fellow Florida Gator teammate and 2018 Royals draft pick Brady Singer.
As the temperature heats up, so too does Andrew Benintendi, who through five games in the month of June is hitting .350 with two home runs and 11 runs batted in. Following a cool stretch to begin the season, Benintendi has really been dialed in for a while now, adding to a top four in the order that can compete with some of baseball's best. Benintendi will look to better his numbers against the Angels this season, going 3-for-11 with a double and two runs scored in their first series of the season.
One of the others in the aforementioned top four of the order is Salvador Perez, who has had a similarly scorching start to June at the dish. Perez is hitting .263 with four home runs coming in an eight at-bat stretch. Perez's seven runs batted in this month give him 40 on the season and have him ranked 12th amongst all MLB players and 1st among catchers. Perez terrorized Angels pitching in their prior meeting back in April, going 8-for-12 with two doubles, a home run and four runs batted in.
The Royals bullpen has been impressive early in the month with just four earned runs allowed in 17.1 innings pitched. With a combined 2.11 ERA, a few notable relievers have stood out as of late. Left-handed pitcher Jake Brentz has been particularly impressive with three appearances amounting to five innings with no base runners allowed and five strikeouts. Brentz also allowed no base runners in two and a third innings pitched against the Angels in the prior series.
The Royals have also gotten great production out of right-handed pitcher Scott Barlow, who most recently hurled three innings of scoreless baseball in the Minnesota Twins series. This included a two-inning save in a one-run ball game where Barlow allowed only one man on base via a walk. Look for the bullpen to become a major factor in the series, as the Royals rank 15th in bullpen ERA and the Angels rank 27th, respectively.
How To Follow
Monday
First Pitch: 8:38 p.m. CST
TV: Bally Sports Kansas City
Radio: 610 Sports Radio
Tuesday
First Pitch: 8:38 p.m. CST
TV: Bally Sports Kansas City
Radio: 610 Sports Radio
Wednesday
First Pitch: 8:38 p.m. CST
TV: Bally Sports Kansas City
Radio: 610 Sports Radio
Read More: Royals General Manager Dayton Moore Covers Variety of Topics with KCMO Talk Radio
Tobias Todd is a contributor to Inside the Royals and a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University. He is also currently a member of The Sports Resort, a weekly sports podcast and was previously a writer for the Northwest Missourian.