Kansas City Royals (8-8) at New York Yankees (8-7)
Game 1:
Date: Monday, April 14th
Time: 7:05 p.m. EDT
Broadcast: National MLBN
Game 2:
Date: Saturday, April 15th
Time: 7:05 p.m. EDT
Broadcast: FanDuel Sports Kansas City/YES Network
Game 3:
Date: Sunday, April 16th
Time: 7:05 p.m. EDT
Broadcast: FanDuel Sports Kansas City/Amazon Prime Video
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Probable Starting Pitchers
Game 1: Seth Lugo (1-1, 3.24 ERA) vs. Carlos Carrasco (1-1, 7.71 ERA)
Lugo’s April can be best summed up as “acceptable” — consistent but unremarkable. He gave the Royals 5.2 innings while allowing five hits, three walks, and two earned runs against the Twins last Wednesday. A quality start, but a struggling Kansas City offense couldn’t provide the needed run support to get Lugo the win. Meanwhile, Carrasco has been the least-worst option on a Yankees roster plagued by injury. The Royals and Yankees series will see the Yankees offense needing to do a lot of the heavy lifting if Carrasco performs to the back of his baseball card.
Game 2: Michael Wacha (0-2, 4.20 ERA) vs. Max Fried (2-0, 1.56 ERA)
Wacha had a solid bounce-back last Thursday against the Twins, despite the loss. He held Minnesota to a solitary run off a Ty France solo-shot through 5.1 innings of work. Wacha would end his day with 2 earned runs after an inherited runner was allowed to score, but this outing was a step in the right direction for the veteran righty. The Yankees, on the other hand, will hand the ball to Fried, fresh off his first “Yankee moment” in Detroit. The New York co-ace pitched seven innings of five-hit baseball while not allowing any runs or walks and striking out 11. Fried will be hunting his third win in pinstripes during this Royals-Yankees series.
Game 3: Kris Bubic (2-1, 0.96 ERA) vs. Clarke Schmidt (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Bubic gave the Royals another quality start against the Guardians, giving up just three runs off a Gabriel Arias home run in the fourth. Those runs are the first Bubic has allowed this season, bringing him back down to earth before a tough start in the Bronx. Meanwhile, Schmidt will make his season debut as he takes the mound for the Yankees. After two solid rehab starts with double-A Somerset, Schmidt will look to give a struggling Yankees rotation a much-needed breather in the upcoming Royals and Yankees series.
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Players to Watch
New York Yankees
Paul Goldschmidt has been on a tear so far this month. He is 5-10 with runners in scoring position and is slashing .358/.397/.491 with a home run and five RBIs. Goldschmidt has been providing this level of production while hitting leadoff, something the 14-year veteran has never done before. His Gold Glove caliber defense has also provided a much needed boost to a New York defense that was among the worst in the league at the end of the 2024 season. In this Royals and Yankees series, Goldschmidt’s production will be pivotal if the team hopes to end their home stand with a win.
Kansas City Royals
You can’t talk about the Royals without talking about Bobby Witt Jr. The Kansas City shortstop is, arguably, the most complete player in the league. He ended his 2024 campaign leading the league in hits (211), games played (161), and batting average (.332). On top of that, he took home Gold Glove Award honors, was selected to the Amerian League All-Star team, and won a Silver Slugger Award. Witt is among the fastest players in baseball, hits for power, hits for average, and has a canon for an arm. Despite a struggling Royals offense, Witt could be the spark the team needs to give their rotation some much needed run support in this Royals-Yankees series.
Next Up:
Kansas City Royals: April 17th-20th @ Detroit Tigers
New York Yankees: April 17th-20th @ Tampa Bay Rays
