MLB Series of the Week: Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins

From Target Field in Minneapolis, two teams in the thick of the AL playoff picture will meet from Monday to Wednesday as the Kansas City Royals face the Minnesota Twins.

Both teams are entrenched in the league’s last two wild-card spots and are on the heels of the slumping Cleveland Guardians, who have lost seven of their last nine games, in the AL Central.

Minnesota leads the season series 5-2.

Kansas City Royals (65-53, third in the AL Central)

The Royals had a 2-3 homestand last week, losing two of three to the Boston Red Sox and then splitting a two-game set with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Kansas City is led by shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., arguably the most electric player in baseball right now.

Witt leads the majors with a .347 batting average, is second with 7.6 WAR, is third with 33 doubles and is fourth with 87 RBIs and a .998 OPS.

Witt has been on a heater since the All-Star break, batting .459 with six home runs, 24 RBIs and a 1.317 OPS in 21 games since the break.

After a couple of down years, eight-time All-Star catcher Salvador Pérez is tied for second among MLB catchers with 21 home runs and leads them with 78 RBIs.

Outfielder MJ Melendez has enjoyed playing against the Twins in 2024, as he has a .899 OPS in 21 at-bats against Minnesota this season.

First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and second baseman Michael Massey, who has only played 60 games in 2024 due to back issues, are other key offensive contributors for Kansas City.

The main strength of the Royals, though, is their starting pitching, as their top three starters make a group that can be matched only by a few teams.

Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Brady Singer each rank in the top 20 of baseball in WAR and they each have an ERA lower than 3.30.

Against the Twins this season, Ragans gave up four earned runs in 11 innings in his two outings, both losses, Lugo allowed only one earned run in 12 innings in his two starts and Singer did not allow a run in 7 innings on March 31.

The bullpen has been the main area of concern for the Royals, so they tried to address it at the trade deadline with Hunter Harvey from the Washington Nationals and Lucas Erceg from the Oakland Athletics, with mixed results.

Harvey gave up four earned runs in his first six appearances with Kansas City then landed on the 15-day injured list on Saturday with mid-back tightness, but Erceg did not give up a run in his first six appearances with the Royals.

Minnesota Twins (65-52, second in the AL Central)

Last week, Minnesota lost two of three in Chicago against the Cubs, then failed to make up any ground in the division race as they split a four-game set against the Guardians.

During the week, the Twins’ injury woes continued, as starting pitcher Joe Ryan and reliever Brock Stewart were lost to a Grade 2 teres major strain and right shoulder pain, respectively.

Stewart, who had a 0.65 ERA in 28 games in 2023, said the pain from a right shoulder strain that caused him to miss most of May and July and all of June hadn’t completely faded, and he opted for season-ending arthroscopic shoulder surgery.

Ryan, who is second on the Twins’ staff with 1.9 WAR, only behind fellow starter Bailey Ober, is out indefinitely and it’s unclear if he’ll pitch again in 2024.

After already having called up their fourth-ranked prospect, right-handed pitcher David Festa, to replace Chris Paddack, the Twins will turn to their sixth-ranked prospect, right-hander Zebby Matthews, to replace Ryan.

The Twins currently have their starter for Tuesday listed as TBD, but that is when Matthews is expected to make his major league debut.

The Twins’ injuries also stretched to the position players, as their second-ranked prospect, shortstop Brooks Lee, was also moved to the injured list with right bicep tendinitis on Friday with Ryan and Stewart.

If there is any good news for Minnesota, it’s that infielder Kyle Farmer, who missed almost a month with a right shoulder strain, returned from the injured list on Friday.

With star shortstop Carlos Correa not having played since the All-Star break and third baseman Royce Lewis having only played in 39 games in 2024, Farmer’s presence may loom large until Correa returns.

Elsewhere in the rotation, right-hander Pablo López is on pace for one of the worst seasons of his career, but metrics say he’s pitching way better than his numbers indicate, with his 4.74 ERA compared to his 3.50 xERA standing out.

López gave up only one earned run in 7 innings on March 28 against the Royals.

Two of Ober’s worst outings in 2024 came against Kansas City, as he lost both outings, giving up a combined 14 earned runs in 6 ⅓ innings.

The only other time the Royals and Twins will meet in 2024 will be from September 6 to 8 in Kansas City.

Projected Starters (per ESPN)

Game 1 (August 12, 7:40 p.m. EST): RHP Brady Singer (8-7, 3.03 ERA) vs. RHP Pablo López (10-8, 4.74 ERA).

Game 2 (August 13, 7:40 p.m.): RHP Seth Lugo (13-6, 2.72) vs. TBD.

Game 3 (August 14, 1:10 p.m.): LHP Cole Ragans (9-7, 3.27) vs. RHP Bailey Ober (12-5, 3.52).

All stats and records are as of before the games on August 12, 2024.

Owen Klein is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ojk5092@psu.edu.