Rangers, Royals Open Series Eager to End June Swoons
Two teams that have done their share of swooning in June face off Friday night when the Kansas City Royals open a three-game series against the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.
Both teams have sputtered to 7-10 records so far this month. The Rangers, who have lost five of their past six games, are in third place in the American League West, 8 1/2 games behind the Seattle Mariners. The Royals, who are just 3-8 over their past 11 games, are second in the AL Central, six games behind the Cleveland Guardians.
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Pitching Matchup: Brady Singer vs. Nathan Eovaldi
Right- hander Brady Singer( 4- 4,3.39 ERA) will start the series opener for Kansas City while right- hander Nathan Eovaldi( 3- 3,3.15) gets the nod for the Rangers.
Singer has gone four starts since his rearmost win on May 19 against the Oakland Athletics. He has lost his once two starts, including a 3- 0 road defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, when he yielded two home runs to Shohei Ohtani and another to Freddie Freeman.
Singer is 0- 3 with a6.05 ERA in four career starts against the Rangers. He pitched well against them in a May 3 launch at Kansas City, allowing one run on four hits over six innings while striking out eight in a 7- 1 Royals win.
Eovaldi is 4-2 with a4.40 Period in nine profession appearances( seven beginnings) against Kansas City. In a 7-5 road loss to the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, he went three innings and gave up four runs on four hits, four walks, and six strikeouts.
Ongoing Execution and Turnarounds
The two groups participate in the challenge subsequent to finishing long strings of failures. With a 5-3 victory over the visiting New York Mets on Wednesday, Texas ended a five-game losing streak. Leody Taveras, who was 2 for 43 (.047), came in as a substitute and hit the game-winning two-run home run in the seventh inning.
“No getting around it, we did (need a win),” Texas manager Bochy said. “Leo, to come into a game like that and hit a home run, it’s good to see him come in and do something really good. I know he’s been fighting it a little bit.”
Bruce Bochy
Kansas City snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory at Oakland on Thursday afternoon. Bobby Witt Jr. hit a 422-foot, go-ahead homer in the eighth inning after the A’s had rallied to tie the contest 2-2 in the seventh on a two-run blast by Zack Gelof off Seth Lugo. It was Witt’s first home run since June 4.
“Bobby, I know he was frustrated with himself the last couple of days,” Kansas City manager Quatraro said. “And I think he took some aggression out on that one, and kind of hurt our hands coming back through the dugout, too. Really happy for him. It’s a huge spot for the team, which is what he cares about.”
Matt Quatraro
Head-to-Head History
The Rangers and Royals met in Kansas City from May 3-5, with Texas winning two of the three contests.
Key Matchup: Rangers vs. Royals
As the series opens, both teams will be looking to gain momentum and end their respective June struggles. With Singer and Eovaldi on the mound, the pitching duel will play a crucial role in setting the tone for the series.
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Conclusion
Both teams will be put to the ultimate test in Friday’s matchup. The Rangers mean to expand on their new win and make strides in the AL West, while the Royals try to exploit their triumph over Oakland and close the hole in the AL Focal. With promising pitching matchups and central participants like Bobby Witt Jr. also, Leody Taveras moving forward, fans can anticipate a thrilling and competitive series.