You know what’s even funnier than twenty-four?
The baseball team in Colorado named for a mountain range will take on the baseball team in Kansas City named for a livestock festival this evening at Kauffman Stadium. Having won the series opener yesterday, Kansas City has a chance to secure their third series victory of the young season.
Taking the mound for the Royals is Michael Lorenzen. It’s been a mixed bag in four starts for Lorenzen, with a 4.57 ERA but 3.63 FIP across 21.2 innings. Most of his metrics aren’t much different than they were last season. One thing to keep an eye on in his changeup — it was his best and most-used secondary last year but hasn’t fooled anybody this season, with half the whiff rate it generated last season. Lorenzen last faced Colorado in June of 2023 with the Tigers, allowing five runs across five innings.
The Rockies will counter with Germán Márquez. The erstwhile ace has had a tough go of it in his first full season since his 2023 Tommy John surgery. Since throwing six shutout innings in his season debut, Márquez has posted a 13.06 ERA in 10.1 innings across three starts. His most recent outing was especially disastrous, surrendering seven runs while failing to complete the first inning. His command has really backed up this season and his stuff appears a tick down as well. Márquez last faced Kansas City in May of 2022, tossing six innings and allowing three runs.
First pitch: 6:40 pm CDT
Royals lineup
Michael Lorenzen heads to the hill against the Rockies.