Garcia went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Angels.
Garcia has hit safely in eight of 11 games in May, going 12-for-47 (.255) with four doubles, four RBI and five runs scored. His steal Sunday was his first of the month and his ninth of the season, and he's yet to be caught stealing. The third baseman is slashing .238/.290/.375 with four home runs, 24 RBI and 20 runs scored over 184 plate appearances. While Garcia hasn't profiled as an ideal leadoff hitter, he's done enough to keep that spot through the first quarter of the campaign in a fairly strong lineup.
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Royals' James McArthur: Allows run in ninth save
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McArthur allowed a run on one hit and did not walk or strike out a batter over one inning to earn the save in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Angels.
McArthur was tagged for a solo home run by Willie Calhoun in the ninth inning, but the Royals' lead was never in real danger. Over 4.2 innings in May, McArthur has yielded six runs (five earned), with three of the eight hits he's allowed in that span leaving the yard. He's 9-for-12 in save opportunities while adding a hold, a 4.42 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP over 18.1 innings this season. The right-hander's shaky pitching of late hasn't cost him the closer job, but John Schreiber has been an excellent setup man and could take over if McArthur doesn't start locking things down.
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Royals' Seth Lugo: Dominant in win
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Lugo (6-1) allowed one run on five hits while striking out 12 and walking none over eight innings to earn the win over the Angels on Sunday.
Quality of opponent aside, Lugo was excellent Sunday. He landed 77 of his 112 pitches for strikes and recorded double-digit strikeouts for the first time this season. It was also his first start without issuing a walk. The right-hander is now at a 1.66 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 48:12 K:BB through 59.2 innings over nine starts. Lugo's had good moments both as a starter and a reliever in his career, but his start to 2024 is a completely new level for the 34-year-old. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Athletics.
Isbel is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
The lefty-hitting Isbel will cede center field to Garrett Hampson while the Angels bring southpaw Patrick Sandoval to the hill for the series finale.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Resting against lefty
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Melendez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
The Royals will stock up some extra right-handed bats to counter Angels southpaw Patrick Sandoval, so the lefty-hitting Melendez will head to the bench for the series finale. Dairon Blanco will replace Melendez in left field.
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Royals' Adam Frazier: Not starting in series finale
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Frazier is out of the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Angels.
The lefty-hitting Frazier will sit for a second straight game with the Angels sending out southpaw Patrick Sandoval for Sunday's series finale. Michael Massey will start at second base while Nelson Velazquez serves as the Royals' designated hitter Sunday. Frazier is slashing .188/.309/.250 with one home run and eight RBI over 94 plate appearances this season.
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Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino: Sitting against southpaw
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Pasquantino is out of the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Angels.
With the Angels sending southpaw Patrick Sandoval to the mound Sunday, the lefty-hitting Pasquantino will get the series finale off. Pasquantino has gone 13-for-36 with one home run and 11 RBI since May 1, and he is up to a .248/.329/.445 slash line over 161 plate appearances this season. Salvador Perez will start at first base Sunday in Pasquantino's stead.
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Royals' Bobby Witt: Two hits, two stolen bases in loss
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Witt went 2-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases in Saturday's loss to the Angels.
Witt scored Kansas City's first run of the game after reaching on an infield single and stealing second, coming home on a double from Salvador Perez. The star shortstop would later drive in a run with another single in the sixth before stealing his second base of the contest, though he was then thrown out trying to steal third. Witt has now recorded multiple hits in five of 10 games this month. He's batting .314 over that stretch with four RBI, 12 runs and six stolen bases.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Surrenders seven runs in loss
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Ragans (2-3) took the loss against the Angels on Saturday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and one walk over 6.1 innings. He struck out three.
Ragans first ran into trouble in the top of the second after surrendering a leadoff triple to Kevin Pillar to open the frame, which would eventually lead to three runs coming home for Los Angeles. The lefty would also surrender runs in the third and seventh innings, with the final two of those runs coming across after he was relieved by Nick Anderson. Ragans had given up two runs or fewer in each of his last three starts coming in, but ended up matching his season high with seven runs allowed in Saturday's loss. On a positive note, he's now managed to go at least six innings in three consecutive outings, posting a 20:6 K:BB over that stretch.
Massey is not in Saturday's lineup against the Angels.
He'll sit against lefty Tyler Anderson, with Garrett Hampson getting the nod at the keystone. Massey is hitting .273 with two home runs and two doubles in nine games this month.
Melendez went 3-for-4 with a triple in Friday's 2-1 win over the Angels.
Melendez hasn't been able to string good performances together, but he's 7-for-24 (.292) over eight games in May. The outfielder was able to get aboard in the ninth inning before Garrett Hampson entered as a pinch runner and scored on Adam Frazier's home run. Melendez is up to a .202/.260/.395 slash line with four homers, 12 RBI, 10 runs scored, six doubles, two triples and two stolen bases through 123 plate appearances. He continues to be a drag in batting average, but he's got intriguing power upside in formats where he's still catcher-eligible after playing 10 games behind the plate in 2023.
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Royals' Adam Frazier: Clubs go-ahead homer
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Frazier went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Friday's 2-1 win over the Angels.
Frazier put the Royals ahead with his ninth-inning blast. The second baseman has gone 3-for-7 over his last two games after enduring an 0-for-15 skid over his previous six contests. Frazier's playing time has become irregular since he lost the starting job at the keystone to Michael Massey, but he's seen some time in the corner outfield spots and at designated hitter. Frazier has a .188/.309/.250 slash line with one homer, eight RBI, eight runs scored, a stolen base and two doubles through 94 plate appearances this season, so his lack of an everyday role shouldn't come as a surprise.
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Royals' Tyler Duffey: Snags first win
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Duffey (1-0) pitched a perfect inning and earned the win over the Angels on Friday.
The Royals saved their offense for the ninth inning in a 2-1 win, and Duffey ended up benefiting after he prevented the Halos from adding to their lead in the eighth. He's kept runs off the board in four of his six major-league appearances this season. The right-hander has a 4.05 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 8:5 K:BB over 6.2 innings while adding one hold, though he's primarily served as a low-leverage option.
