Royals to put starting pitching to test again vs. Twins

The Kansas City Royals have received strong starting pitching in each of their last three games and left-hander Noah Cameron looks to continue that trend on Wednesday against the visiting Minnesota Twins.

The Royals received a third consecutive quality start in as many days Monday when they opened the three-game series against the Twins with a 3-1 victory. Left-hander Kris Bubic followed the lead of right-handers Michael Wacha (Saturday) and Seth Lugo (Sunday) when he allowed just one run on two hits in six innings.

All told, Kansas City starters have yielded five earned runs in their first 22 1/3 innings for a 2.01 ERA that was fourth best in baseball heading into Monday's play.

After the teams enjoyed a rare day off in the series, Cameron will look to do his part in his season debut. The St. Joseph (Mo.) native finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting after posting a 9-7 record and 2.99 ERA in 24 games (all starts) last season. He struck out 114 batters over 138 1/3 innings.

Cameron, 26, excelled in two starts versus Minnesota last season, posting a 1-0 record with a 0.73 ERA. He struck out eight batters and allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings of a no-decision on May 23 before picking up the win after six hits over 5 2/3 scoreless frames on Aug. 9.

The Royals offense mustered just enough production in their home opener on Monday, as Kyle Isbel belted a two-homer in the second inning and Isaac Collins added a solo shot in the seventh. The power display came in front of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Baseball Hall of Famer George Brett, among others.

"The energy in the stadium was electric," Isbel said, per the Kansas City Star. "The fan support was incredible out there and it was good to get a couple runs on the board early."

Collins snapped a 0-for-8 funk with his first homer of the season.

"It's always good getting the first one out of the way," Collins said. "And for it to be a home run was the icing on the cake."

Minnesota right-hander Joe Ryan (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will look to prevent the Royals from having any cake on Wednesday. Ryan sports a sizzling 8-1 record with a 2.02 ERA in 11 career appearances (all starts) against the Royals.

A first-time All-Star in 2025, Ryan put his best foot forward in his season-opening outing. He allowed just one hit and struck out seven batters over 5 1/3 scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.

Matt Wallner belted a solo homer in the second inning on Monday for the Twins, who mustered just three hits -- all singles -- the rest of the way.

Minnesota manager Derek Shelton praised the work of his evolving bullpen, with left-hander Kody Funderburk and right-hander Justin Topa making appearances in three of the first four games.

"I think there's a lot of trust there," Shelton said. "(Funderburk) did a good job. He gave up the one hard-hit ball that ended up being a homer, and then Topa came in and did a good job, too. I think they are solidifying themselves in leverage situations."

--Field Level Media