The Royals return to Kauffman Stadium for a six-game homestand starting with the Tampa Bay Rays and finishing with the Philadelphia Phillies. The past week of games hasn’t been ideal for the Royals, with a series split against the Rays at the Trop that saw the Royals get outscored 18-5 in the final two games. Against the White Sox, they opened with a 22-1 loss, followed by a 2-1 walk-off loss, before getting one back in the finale. They welcome the Rays to Kauffman this go around, so here are the probable starters, as well as stats and trends to keep an eye on.
Probable Starters
Game One: Noah Cameron (4-5, 4.50 ERA) vs. Griffin Jax (3-5, 3.33 ERA)
Game Two: Seth Lugo (3-5, 4.19 ERA) vs. Shane McClanahan (6-5, 3.30 ERA)
Game Three: Stephen Kolek (4-2, 4.15 ERA) vs. Not Announced Yet
Carter Jensen’s Hot Streak Has Powered Royals Offense
There hasn’t really been much to cheer about recently for Royals fans, but Carter Jensen is one of those reasons to cheer. Jensen is on a torrid streak, which includes a 19-game hit streak. Over the past two weeks, Jensen is slashing .388/.444/.653 for an OPS of 1.098. He has hit four home runs, driven in ten, and added four doubles in that stretch of play.
In the four-game series against the Rays last week, Jensen went 4-for-18 with two walks, a home run, and three RBIs. He also got hits off of both announced Rays starters, so expect Jensen to stay hot at the plate.
Jac Caglianone and Bobby Witt Jr Struggled Last Series
Despite it being a superb month for both Caglianone and Witt Jr., besides the knee injury, they struggled against the White Sox. For BWJ, it was his first action since falling with a knee sprain, so take it with a grain of salt, but he went 1-for-13 in the Southside of Chicago with two walks and an RBI. His only hit, however, could relieve Royals fans’ worries as he did hit a double and looked fine. He has also seen McClanahan and Jax before with solid success against both.
For Caglianone, however, it has been a struggle over the past two series. In the last two series, he has gone 4-for-25, with three of those hits coming in the second game of the Rays series. In that game, though, he did see McClanahan well and did hit two home runs in the game. Over this stretch, he has struck out a fair bit with ten K’s, and he isn’t walking at all, one walk over the stretch.
If the Royals even want to entertain a series win, both Cags and BWJ need to get back to form otherwise it could be a long series once again.
Junior Caminero is Going to Cause Problems for Royals’ pitching
The only thing that will be as hot as the weather will be in KC is Junior Caminero. In the series against the Royals, he has found his spark and proceeded to turn his at-bats into a home run derby showcase. In that series, Caminero hit four long shots, three in one game, and went 6-for-18 overall.
He has seen just about every pitcher the Royals have to offer and either owns them or doesn’t. Noah Cameron has done well against him, holding him hitless while allowing two walks to Caminero. Seth Lugo gave up two long shots to Caminero in his last start, and Stephen Kolek has not faced him yet.
During this hot stretch, Caminero has hit seven home runs and is on a four-game home run streak that could very well continue into this series. With hot weather and the Royals’ pitching having issues, it will be difficult to contain Caminero this series.
With the season well off the tracks the Royals will look for anything positive to take away from a dreadful first half with the All-Star break right around the corner.
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