Royals vs Twins Preview: Pitching duel and comeback drama

The Kansas City Royals rolled into Minnesota riding momentum from their recent victory. They sit at 26-39 overall, but they're fighting hard to climb back into contention. Jac Caglianone is swinging hot—he smashed a two-run homer Monday with an exit velocity of 108.1 mph. The Royals' pitching staff has serious talent despite injuries sidelining Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic. Noah Cameron takes the mound Sunday, looking to keep Kansas City's winning streak alive. The Twins are 30-36 and struggling recently with just 3 wins in their last 10 games. You can feel the pressure on both sides as they battle in this weekend series.

Minnesota's pitching staff keeps games close, but the bats haven't been firing consistently. Connor Prielipp takes the ball for the Twins on Sunday. Byron Buxton, the Twins' center fielder, is day-to-day after injuring his shoulder making a diving catch. That's a big loss because Buxton brings speed and power to the lineup. The Twins are limping along at 30-36, and they dropped their last game. Kansas City already stole one game earlier this series with a 3-2 victory. Minnesota's pitchers can compete nightly, but the offense needs to wake up fast.

These two teams have been trading blows all series. The Royals won the first game 3-2 on a Witt Jr. single in the ninth inning. The Twins bounced back with a 5-3 victory, but Kansas City answered with an 8-6 win. Now they're back for more. Both teams have major pitchers out with injuries, so depth matters hugely. This is the kind of game where relief pitching and clutch hitting decide everything. You never know who'll step up when it counts. Sunday's matchup will show us which team has the heart to keep fighting.