The Indians take on the Royals in Kansas City this evening, as Corey Kluber looks to bounce back from his bad start in St. Louis last week. Jakob Junis will take the mound for the Royals.
Last weekend, the Indians managed to escape Oakland without being swept. The Royals were not as lucky in their west coast series – they were swept by the Mariners. In fact, the Royals (and the Orioles) are currently on pace to win fewer than 50 games. Only two teams have managed that feat since the schedule was expanded to 162 games 58 years ago – the 2003 Tigers and the 1962 Mets. The Indians have struggled on the road this year, but it would be great to end this road trip on a high note against a struggling team.
Plus the Tribe could use a bit of good news. It was just announced today that Danny Salazar underwent surgery on his shoulder. He’ll be shut down completely for 12-16 weeks and is definitely done for 2018. I think at this point, we should just hope his career isn’t over.
Lineups:
| Indians | Royals | ||
|
SS
|
Francisco Lindor |
2B
|
Whit Merrifield |
|
LF
|
Michael Brantley |
CF
|
Rosell Herrera |
|
3B
|
Jose Ramirez |
DH
|
Mike Moustakas |
|
DH
|
Edwin Encarnacion |
C
|
Salvador Perez |
|
1B
|
Yonder Alonso |
1B
|
Lucas Duda |
|
RF
|
Lonnie Chisenhall |
RF
|
Jorge Bonifacio |
|
2B
|
Jason Kipnis |
LF
|
Alex Gordon |
|
C
|
Yan Gomes |
3B
|
Alcides Escobar |
|
CF
|
Tyler Naquin |
SS
|
Adalberto Mondesi |
|
SP
|
Corey Kluber |
SP
|
Jakob Junis |