Kyle Zimmer likely to get chance to make splash for Royals on Thursday in Detroit
The Royals’ bullpen has caused some consternation in the opening week of the season. The relief pitchers have posted a collective ERA of 7.27. Meanwhile, their feel-good story of the spring — Kyle Zimmer — has made just one appearance after a stellar spring training.
Before Wednesday’s loss at home to the Minnesota Twins, Royals manager Ned Yost said he’d continue to pick spots with Zimmer. Yost previously said he’d be careful about when to put young guys making their major-league debuts into their first game because of how much rides on that first appearance for a player.
Zimmer is almost assuredly going to be one of the pitchers out of the bullpen on Thursday as the Royals play their first road game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.
“Going into (Thursday), I’ve literally got Zim and I’ve got Kennedy and I’ve got Boxberger,” Yost said after Wednesday’s game. “Everybody else is throwing back-to-back days and been used a lot. Going three days in a row early in the season, I’m not going to do it.
“So he’s going to have an opportunity Thursday to step up. That’s what you try to do, you provide opportunity. Take advantage of it. Stay on the attack. Get after somebody with your good stuff. Everybody’s got good stuff. Get after them! Take advantage of this opportunity and continue to build your role as a reliever down there.”
With the Royals having an off-day on Friday, Yost will have some wiggle room as far as who is available today. Kevin McCarthy and Barlow can both throw on back-to-back days if needed on top of Ian Kennedy, Brad Boxberger and Zimmer.
Tigers making them count: The Tigers enter Thursday’s game having scored 12 runs in their first seven games of the season, and they managed to win four of those games. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that made this year’s Tigers the third team since 1900 to win at least four of its first seven games when scoring a combined 12 runs of fewer. The other teams to do it were the 1913 Philadelphia Phillies and the 1971 New York Mets.
Gold Glove start: Entering Thursday, the Royals were one of just two teams in the majors, along with Tampa Bay, to have not committed an error this season.
Thursday’s lineup
1. Whit Merrifield, 2b
2. Adalberto Mondesi, ss
3. Alex Gordon, lf
4. Jorge Soler, rf
5. Ryan O’Hearn, dh
6. Lucas Duda, 1b
7. Chris Owings, 3b
8. Martin Maldonado, c
9. Billy Hamilton, cf
Starting pitcher: Jakob Junis (rh, 1-0, 4.76)
