The Royals swept the Mariners in Seattle to open May and have spent the rest of the month falling down the stairs. Kansas City is 4 games under .500 of late and just got shut out 2-0 on Friday night behind a quiet Mitch Garver homer and 5 2/3 from Logan Gilbert. Now they get a Sunday matinee against a Mariners team that smells blood.
Bryan Woo gets the ball for Seattle and he has reason to want this one. The Royals torched him for 6 runs in 6 innings back on May 1, including 4 in the first. He responded by punching out 9 Astros in his last quality start in Houston, so the version that shows up at Kauffman matters a lot. Seth Lugo, meanwhile, has been wobbling — 5 runs in 5 innings against the White Sox his last time out, and his ERA has crept up to 3.68 after a sparkling April.
The biggest subplot here is who isn't playing. Seattle is still without Cal Raleigh (oblique) and Brendan Donovan (groin), which is a real chunk of offensive production missing from this lineup. Kansas City counters with their own pile of arms on the shelf — Cole Ragans is finally on a rehab assignment, but Kris Bubic, Matt Strahm, and Carlos Estevez are all out, which is why every Lugo start feels like it has to go 7.
- Day-To-DayTeddy McGraw SP — McGraw is working his way back from right elbow issues, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.
- 10-Day-ILBrendan Donovan 3B — Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Sunday that Donovan will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection for his strained left groin as well as his adductor and is expected to resume baseball activity in 2-to-3 weeks, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILCal Raleigh C — The Mariners will shut Raleigh (oblique) down for a week before re-evaluating him, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
- 10-Day-ILWill Wilson 3B — The Mariners placed Wilson on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a fractured left thumb.
- 15-Day-ILGabe Speier RP — Speier (shoulder) began a rehab assignment with High-A Everett on Wednesday, allowing three runs on three hits, including two home runs, over one inning. He struck out two.
- 60-Day-ILMiles Mastrobuoni 3B — Seattle transferred Mastrobuoni (calf) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
- 60-Day-ILLogan Evans SP — The Mariners placed Evans (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Monday.
- 60-Day-ILCarlos Vargas RP — Vargas (lat) has suffered a setback in his recovery, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
- Day-To-DayAnthony Simonelli SP — no
- Day-To-DayJavier Vaz 2B — Vaz (fingers) has produced a .238/.304/.262 slash line with zero home runs and three stolen bases in 10 games since being activated from Double-A Northwest Arkansas' 7-day injured list April 22.
- Day-To-DayTyson Guerrero RP — no
- 10-Day-ILJonathan India 2B — The Royals announced Tuesday that India underwent season-ending surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder.
- 15-Day-ILCole Ragans SP — The Royals announced Friday that Ragans (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Saturday.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Strahm RP — Strahm received an injection Monday to help with symptoms of right knee inflammation, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILKris Bubic SP — Bubic (3-2) took the loss against the White Sox on Thursday, pitching four innings and allowing five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out one batter.
- 15-Day-ILCarlos Estevez RP — Estevez (foot) was diagnosed with a right rotator cuff strain Thursday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The market sees the Mariners as the right side and isn't being shy about it. Seattle is a -132 favorite on the road against a Royals team that has lost 4 of 5, which tells you what books think of Kansas City's current vibe. The total sits at 8.5 with the under getting most of the action — fair enough with two starters who can miss bats when they're right.
Get-away day in KC, a hobbled Royals lineup, and a Woo revenge spot against the team that knocked him around 3 weeks ago. If Seattle can put a crooked number on Lugo early the way they couldn't on Friday, this one ends quick. If Lugo finds the version of himself from April, it's a 3-2 game where the Royals bullpen has to figure out how not to lose it for him.