Royals vs Twins Preview: Young Royals Look to Spark Offense

The Kansas City Royals are rolling into Minnesota with momentum on their side. They just crushed the Twins 8-6 on Wednesday night. That's two straight wins for Kansas City. The Royals' bats came alive in the late innings, scoring twice in the ninth to seal it. Now they're 25-38 overall, but they smell a chance to keep the streak going. Michael Wacha takes the mound Saturday as their starter. He's steady and experienced—exactly what Kansas City needs right now.

The Minnesota Twins dropped two straight games heading into Saturday. That loss to Kansas City on Wednesday stings especially. The Twins are 29-35, also fighting to stay in the race. Zebby Matthews gets the start for Minnesota at home. The Twins need their pitchers to lock down. Joe Ryan leads their rotation with reliability. Bailey Ober, Cole Sands, and Mick Abel are all battling injuries. That puts extra pressure on Matthews to deliver a strong outing against Kansas City's bats.

Michael Wacha and Zebby Matthews will duel Saturday night. Wacha is the veteran who's played for five different MLB teams. He brings experience and a sharp strikeout rate of about 7 per game. Matthews takes the hill for Minnesota at home field. Both teams need this win badly. The Royals have injuries piling up too—Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic are sidelined. Kansas City's bullpen is managing without closer Carlos Estevez. Saturday's game could decide who stays hot and who falls further back.