Game 158: Angels vs Royals

Today, the Royals will take on the Angels in the third and final game in their second-to-last series of the season. After coming up with a big win in game one, the Royals dropped game two after only compiling two hits on the day. Kansas City will take the series tonight before taking on the Athletics for the final series of the season.

Michael Lorenzen will take the mound for the Royals, marking his 26th start of the year. With a mutual option this off-season as well as an incredibly deep pitching staff, it is unlikely we will see Lorenzen return to the Royals next season. Today, he will pitch in what is all but certainly his last start with the team as they look to come away with a series win in Los Angeles.

For the Angels, Mitch Farris will take the mound for his fifth start of his MLB career. You may remember Ferris’s name after his impressive debut game against the Royals on September 2nd. In his first-ever Major League game, Ferris was called up from AA and gave Royals hitters a tough time on the mound. He went five innings, only allowing one run, and the Royals will need to get to him if they want to win the series tonight.

While many fans have tuned out after the Royals were eliminated from the playoffs, there is still some important baseball to be played. The Royals are using this opportunity to get a look at several of their young players as they begin to shift their focus to 2026. Several young players from the bullpen to the lineup will be fighting for their jobs next season and have something to prove in tonight’s game.

First Pitch is at 8:38 CT

Both of the Royals’ top prospects to start this season will get positional starts today, with Jensen behind the plate and Jac Caglianone in right field. Mike Yastzremski gets a start in center field, getting his fourth start in center this year. Randal Grichuk will be in left, and Michael Massey is hitting in the nine hole at second base. Both young hitters get a chance to prove themselves, while the Royals continue to let their star players shine in the middle of the lineup.

The Angels have Mike Trout in the lineup for the second time in this series, moving him to the two hole today behind Schanuel. The bottom of the order for the Angels will have similar names to what we have seen earlier in this series. The Royals will see a lot of righties today against Michael Lorenzen, who will need to force some outside swing and miss for an effective start tonight.