The Kansas City Royals will face the Los Angeles Angels on Friday at Angel Stadium. First pitch from Anaheim, CA, is at 6:38 p.m. PT. The Angels are heavy moneyline favorites and the game total is 8.5.
Kansas City (4-15 SU and 5-14 RL) was swept by Atlanta and Texas in consecutive series. The Royals will turn to right-hander Taylor Clarke (1-0 with a 6.75 ERA in seven appearances) to open the game before handing the ball to Ryan Yarbrough.
Los Angeles (9-9 SU and 8-10 RL) lost two of three to the New York Yankees after dropping three of four in Boston. The Angels, who are starting a seven-game homestand, will start ace Shohei Ohtani (2-0 with a 0.86 ERA in four previous starts) on Friday at the Big A.
Since winning the first two games of a road series at San Francisco, KC has been fading fast, losing nine of its last ten overall. At 4-15, are the Royals already irrelevant in the Wild Card race? Now seven games out of first place in their division, it's time for Kansas City to make a statement.
The Royals average 3.11 runs per game (30th) and hit .208 (30th) with a .594 OPS (30th). They've hit 14 home runs (27th) and stolen 12 bases (19th) in 2023. SS Bobby Witt Jr. paces Kansas City with three home runs and 1B Vinnie Pasquantino leads the club in OBP (.378). The KC pitching staff has posted a 5.46 ERA (28th) and a 1.44 WHIP (24th) with four quality starts to date.
Bobby's got us on the board. #WelcomeToTheCity pic.twitter.com/DHIp2BxnEB
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) April 19, 2023< /blockquote>
The 29-year-old Clarke takes the mound on Friday. He's tossed eight innings in relief this year, giving up six total runs on 13 hits and three walks, fanning 12 batters. The right-hander will be the team's opener, giving the club an inning or two before handing the ball over to Yarbrough, who will assume the bulk of the game's innings. KC is going with this approach while it searches for a replacement for Kris Bubic, who was recently placed on the 15-day IL with a left flexor strain. Yarbrough is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP in six games (nine innings) this year.