Royals and Tigers meet in series rubber match
Detroit Tigers (38-21, first in the AL Central) vs. Kansas City Royals (31-28, fourth in the AL Central)
Kansas City, Missouri; Sunday, 2:10 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Tigers: Keider Montero (2-1, 4.54 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 24 strikeouts); Royals: Kris Bubic (5-2, 1.45 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 70 strikeouts)
Advertisement
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Royals -148, Tigers +124; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers play on Sunday with the three-game series tied 1-1.
Kansas City has gone 19-12 in home games and 31-28 overall. The Royals have a 22-6 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.
Detroit has a 17-13 record in road games and a 38-21 record overall. The Tigers have a 22-6 record in games when they did not give up a home run.
The teams play Sunday for the seventh time this season. The Tigers are up 4-2 in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Vinnie Pasquantino leads the Royals with eight home runs while slugging .396. Salvador Perez is 8 for 39 with two home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games.
Advertisement
Riley Greene has 12 doubles, 13 home runs and 40 RBIs for the Tigers. Spencer Torkelson is 7 for 34 with two doubles and two home runs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Royals: 4-6, .268 batting average, 3.87 ERA, outscored by seven runs
Tigers: 6-4, .203 batting average, 2.50 ERA, outscored opponents by four runs
INJURIES: Royals: Lucas Erceg: 15-Day IL (back), Cole Ragans: 15-Day IL (groin), Alec Marsh: 60-Day IL (shoulder), James McArthur: 60-Day IL (elbow), Hunter Harvey: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Sam Long: 15-Day IL (elbow), Kyle Wright: 15-Day IL (shoulder)
Tigers: Alex Cobb: 60-Day IL (hip), Jackson Jobe: 15-Day IL (flexor), Matt Vierling: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Reese Olson: 15-Day IL (finger), Parker Meadows: 60-Day IL (arm), Ty Madden: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jose Urquidy: 60-Day IL (elbow), Sawyer Gipson-Long: 60-Day IL (hip), Alex Lange: 60-Day IL (lat)
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
34 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Readers critique The Post: Spelling bees are pointless. So is correct spelling.
Every week, The Post runs a collection of letters of readers' grievances — pointing out grammatical mistakes, missing coverage and inconsistencies. These letters tell us what we did wrong and, occasionally, offer praise. Here, we present this week's Free for All letters. As a proud English teacher for 60 years, I read Nicole Krauss's May 25 Opinion essay, 'The end of writing and reading will be the end of freedom,' with enthusiasm — and with horror at the knowledge that so many young people have no concept of the joy of reading. It put into words all the fears I have had over the years about the written word becoming obsolete. It also brought me back to a sense of optimism that some of our youths still cherish reading. I hope I have nurtured all my students to read and appreciate the written word.
New York Times
40 minutes ago
- New York Times
Twins' minor-league adventure: Tampa, Sacramento trips marked by ‘difficult' playing conditions
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The risk simply wasn't worth it for Carlos Correa. Recognizing the soreness developing in the middle of his back after two days of slipping and sliding in a rock-hard batter's box at Sutter Health Park, the Twins shortstop elected to sit out the final two contests of a four-game series at the new, temporary home of the Athletics. Advertisement In abandoning Oakland to spend three seasons in the California state capital before they move to a new ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip, the A's made a controversial decision by voluntarily relocating to a Triple-A stadium they're sharing with a minor-league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. While the refurbished facility's amenities drew rave reviews from every Twins player interviewed by The Athletic, including Correa, several noted a number of 'minor-league' issues with its playing surface. After playing in West Sacramento and at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the temporary home of the Tampa Bay Rays and spring training facility for the New York Yankees, during their recent three-city road trip, the Twins have a fresh perspective on Major League Baseball's minor-league issues as the weather heats up. From Tampa's oppressive heat and humidity to its poor outfield lighting and short foul poles to a batter's box in Sacramento multiple players described as akin to hitting on cement and a rigid pitcher's mound that's drawn the ire of hurlers across the league, the Twins experienced the full range of challenges these parks present in playing seven away games against the Rays and A's since May 26. Correa's experience with the batter's box represents one of the bigger hardships Twins players faced during their minor-league adventure. 'It's the worst box I've ever stepped in,' Correa said. 'I like (the park). The ball travels very well. The facilities are good. They did it right. The plate is the only problem. … I'm not going to sacrifice two months of my season because of a couple of at-bats here.' How the clubhouses at both temporary stadiums are arranged isn't an issue. But the playing conditions are a different story. In Sacramento, the dirt and the disconnected dugouts create difficulties for the home and visiting players. Both teams' clubhouses are located beyond the left-field fence at the ballpark, which means players and trainers are often commuting across the field between innings. Advertisement Athletics pitcher Luis Severino voiced his frustration with his home stadium last month. During a typical start, Severino reportedly likes to retreat to the clubhouse between innings to watch film and move around, something he can't do at Sutter Health Park. This season, Severino, who signed a multi-year contract with the A's in free agency, has a 0.87 road ERA and a 6.99 ERA at home. Before their four-game series began Monday, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli joked about how awkward it would be to get ejected, as he did in Seattle on Saturday night. Noting fans described the potential scenario as a walk of shame, Baldelli suggested he'd be worried about how his stride would look with such a long walk. Still, Baldelli determined if an ejection occurred, he'd make the most of it. 'It's the march of triumph,' he said. The batter's box and mound, which are pored over by the grounds crew daily to handle a combined 156-game schedule for the Athletics and Triple-A River Cats, also have been heavily criticized for their firmness. When he pitched in Sacramento on May 24, Philadelphia Phillies starter Zack Wheeler struggled to dig a hole on the mound in front of the rubber with his foot because of the hard clay used. Wheeler said he couldn't 'get into the dirt to drive' through his pitches, which left him throwing 'all arm.' Wheeler's phrasing stuck with Twins pitcher Joe Ryan, who wondered aloud if a firm mound played a role in the significant injury suffered by teammate Pablo López this week in Sacramento. Coming off a daytime start in which he pitched in 100-degree temperatures in Tampa, López suffered a Grade 2 teres major muscle strain on Tuesday and is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks. Ryan is perplexed by how a teammate as fit and process-oriented as López — 'he spends hours a day (warming up) to go play catch' — could suffer such an injury. Advertisement 'The first thing I thought of was Wheeler saying, 'I was all arm when I was here,'' Ryan said. 'Does that play into that? Someone was mentioning it. We're in the big leagues and we have these amenities for a reason. It's to get prepared and go inside if you need to for a second. Whatever your routine is, you can't do that here. You can't do that in Tampa. As (Lopez's) teammate, it makes it sting a little bit more. I don't think Pablo is the kind of guy that's going to say (the mound was the issue), but I'll say it.' During his May 28 start in Tampa, López called a timeout in the first inning for groundskeepers to fix the mound. Ryan also took issue with the mound in Tampa and said it was much different than the one he warmed up on in the bullpen before his start. 'Tampa was a fricking sh– box and they have a massive mound in the bullpen before,' Ryan said. 'It's a huge contrast.' According to players, the issues in Tampa — which is scheduled to be used by the Rays for only the 2025 season after Hurricane Milton destroyed the roof of Tropicana Field last September and caused massive flood damage — include poor outfield lighting, a short porch in right field and short foul poles. The miniature poles likely cost Aaron Judge a home run in an April 20 game as the ball appeared to incorrectly be ruled foul. Poor lighting seemed to hamper Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach's ability to track fly balls in a May 26 loss to the Rays. 'I could see better at Tampa at the beginning of the game and then at night it was really difficult for me,' Larnach said. '(In a regular park), the lights are bright and you see the ball a tad bit better, whether it be in the outfield, at the plate or whatever.' Lighting doesn't seem to be an issue at Sutter Health Park, which has a berm beyond the fence in right field with trees that offers fans a unique way to catch a major-league game. But the lack of a third deck in both stadiums allows wind to impact the ball in different ways. The ball carries extremely well in Sacramento, which Baseball Savant ranks as tops in the majors — tied with the Baltimore Orioles' Camden Yards — in Park Factor, meaning it is the most hitter-friendly park in baseball. Advertisement Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler hit a three-run homer Monday, a 100.9-mph, 28-degree fly ball, which Ryan and Byron Buxton swore would have been an out at the Twins' home ballpark, Target Field. However, Buxton also benefitted at the plate as the wind turned what likely would have been an out into a two-run double. By comparison, Steinbrenner Field currently is playing as a neutral venue, according to Baseball Savant's Park Factor. 'Big-league stadiums, you don't have the ball dancing like these balls are moving here,' Buxton said of Sacramento. 'My double, fly out, wind takes it, almost takes it out and it's like, 'What?' … (Butler's) ball, I'm (normally) catching at the warning track.' Players described the wind in Tampa as swirling and unpredictable. Twins outfielder Willi Castro raced toward the left-field foul line during a May 27 game, only for the wind to spin the ball back into play — well out of his grasp — for a double. Even the view of left field from the visiting dugout in Tampa is deceiving. From his perch atop the dugout, Baldelli couldn't see any plays that occurred in left field. The park's configuration is such that the visiting dugout juts out into the field of play with the left-field foul pole situated about 15 feet behind where Baldelli stands. 'Every ball that's hit down the left-field line, we think it's foul by like 100 feet,' Baldelli said. 'It looks like it's foul off the bat, like the hitters not even hitting it, and it's getting blown up, and they're fair.' Both parks are expected to heat up like a microwave as summer arrives. The heat issues in Tampa are concerning enough that MLB scheduled the Rays away from home for a 10-game road trip in July and a 12-gamer to the West Coast in August. Despite pitching at night in Tampa on May 27, Twins starter Chris Paddack went through four baseball caps and jerseys as well as multiple undershirts. For the teams' May 28 day game, the temperature was sweltering as Twins players scrambled for minimal shade in the visiting dugout. Advertisement 'I was sweating a ton right after (batting practice),' Twins infielder Royce Lewis said. 'Sweating through batting gloves and stuff. The heat for some guys definitely played a part. To stand out in the sun for hours is depleting.' Still, it's not all bad. Although the layout of the visitors locker room, weight room and cafeteria at Steinbrenner Field is unlike almost any other ballpark in the majors, the two batting cages for visiting teams were lauded by nearly every Twins hitter. Staffers also noted there was ample space to perform their different activities. 'We're finding our bearings,' Baldelli said. 'We're finding meeting rooms and weight rooms. It's not set up where it's all in one space, like guys are typically used to, but it's nothing that we can't get familiar with and figure out.' Similarly, players raved about the behind-the-scenes setup at Sutter Health Park. Multi-million dollar offseason upgrades at the stadium included a renovated visiting clubhouse, a revamped scoreboard and a new playing surface. Though MLB originally wanted the Athletics and River Cats to play on synthetic turf, a decision was made to use real grass. Buxton described the outfield grass as playing faster than the grass at most parks, while Baldelli described the turf as squishy. Stadium officials plan to re-sod the playing surface during the middle of July to help combat dead spots during a stretch where temperatures are expected to soar above 100 degrees. As much as each stadium has its drawbacks, nothing compares to Sacramento's hard dirt, several Twins hitters said. Throughout their four-game series, Twins hitters could be seen slipping in the batter's box when swinging at pitches. Correa slipped during his first at-bat Monday (a double) and tried to improve his footing by changing into catcher Ryan Jeffers' metal spikes. After dealing with plantar fasciitis in each foot over the past two seasons, Correa ditched metal spikes in favor of moldings, comfortable shoes that don't grip the ground as well. But he quickly rid himself of Jeffers' spikes because they began to hurt his feet. Advertisement Over the next two days, Correa's back began to hurt. He experienced back issues earlier in his career and could tell the new soreness was in a different location. He believed it was related to slipping in the batter's box and overcompensating with his back. To test and confirm his hypothesis, Correa hit on flat ground in the indoor batting cages and felt fine each time. At that point, Correa determined he would sit out the final two games of the series rather than risk a severe back injury. 'The plate here is killing me right now,' Correa said. 'It's very slippery. … For us that play with moldings, it's a tough time getting grip on the plate, but it's better than your feet hurting.' (Top photo of Twins reliever Jonah Bride pitching at Sutter Health Park: Scott Marshall / Associated Press)
Fox News
41 minutes ago
- Fox News
Twin sister of Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell dead at 18, police say
Kierston Russell, the twin sister of University of Alabama freshman quarterback Keelon Russell, has died just days after the siblings graduated from high school, police confirmed in a statement on Thursday. She was 18. The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office confirmed Kierston's passing in a statement, adding that the investigation into her death is "ongoing." "There has been considerable media attention concerning a death investigation that occurred (in Tuscaloosa) on June 4, 2025," Capt. Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office Violent Crimes Unit said in a statement obtained by Tuscaloosa News. "After speaking with the family, and in an attempt to quell media inquiries, they have given permission to confirm the death of Kierston Russell... The investigation is ongoing pursuant to the procedures mentioned above, and at this time appears to be non-criminal in nature. Therefore, at this time no other information will be released." Kierston played basketball at Duncanville High School in Texas. According to ESPN, she was due to join her brother at Alabama in August. The twins graduated last month. Keelon, a five-star recruit who enrolled early and attended Alabama's spring training, shared photos of the two together and shared a prayer to his Instagram Stories on Thursday. "Dear god, Thank You that every good and pleasant gift is from above. You are the source of every blessing in my life-my health, my work, my relationships, and the strength to face each day. Even my ability to work and create comes from You. I acknowledge that all I have is a gift from Your generous hand," he post read. "As James 1:17 says, 'Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.' You are faithful, and I am grateful." Kierston's basketball team also shared a statement on X following the news of her death. "With shattered hearts, we mourn the loss of our sister & teammate, Kierston Russell. A fierce competitor with a heart of gold – her light, love & legacy will live on. We love you, KRuss. Always." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
