Kansas City Royals: Game Preview Versus the San Francisco Giants

The Kansas City Royals will take on the San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale, Arizona today at 2:05 CST. Brian Flynn will get the start against Tyler Beede as the Royals continue shaping their roster for the 2018 season.

The Royals

Today the Royals will likely get a few more familiar faces in the game to continue preparing them for the 2018 season. The Royals will look to build on the bright spots they have seen from Aldaberto Mondesi and Paulo Orlando. Although they both had similar Spring Training’s last year, they are still making strong cases for making the 25-man-roster.

Brian Flynn will take the mound the first couple innings of the game. Last year Flynn missed out on Spring Training due to an injury he sustained after he fell from the roof of his barn. Last year he made one appearance in the major leagues pitching 2.1 innings and only giving up a run. In Omaha, he posted an ERA of 5.40 in 22 appearances. An interesting note to remember with Flynn, he is out of options. If he breaks camp on the 25-man roster he will only be able to go back to Omaha if he makes it through waivers. However, the Royals do have a lot of confidence in him. They are hopeful he will be able to help rebuild the bullpen to the dominance it once held.

The Giants

So far this Spring the Giants are 1-2 and are hoping to improve that. This offseason they added to the lineup by trading for veteran third baseman Evan Longoria and longtime Pirate’s outfielder Andrew McCutchen in order to make an effort to reclaim the even year magic.

Tyler Beede is getting the start for the Giants and has yet to break into the major leagues. Last year in AAA he posted a  4.79 ERA in 19 starts. The Giants are hoping he will be a solid rotation piece in the future.

Keys to the Game

This is still early in Spring Training and winning is not important but there are other things to show success in Arizona:

1. The Royals need to continue evaluating all of their positions. I think catcher is the only position we know for sure who the starter on Opening Day will be. The Royals can still move around everyone else to a new position for 2018. So far Mondesi and Orlando have made an early impression. The Royals need to see if they can stay consistent and who else can step up.
2. Build the bullpen. The Royals need to rebuild their bullpen and evaluate the pitchers they have. As Spring Training continues the Royals will hopefully figure this out. Right now, the Royals are looking to build around Kelvin Herrera and Brandon Maurer, who look to be the only bullpen arms locked into place.

How to follow along

The Royals game will not be televised but will be broadcast on the radio in Kansas City on KCSP 610 AM and will be streamed online at MLB.com, as well as the At Bat app. Follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the game and check back here for a recap after the game.