Kansas City Royals: Game Preview Versus The San Diego Padres

The Kansas City Royals will be in Peoria to take on the 3-3 San Diego Padres today. Southpaw Danny Duffy will start for the boys in blue and Bryan Mitchell will go for the Padres. Things are set to get rolling at 2:10 PM CST.

The Royals

We will get our first look at likely opening day starter Danny Duffy. In 24 starts in 2017, he pitched to a 9-10 record and spotted a 3.81 ERA. He will hopefully face former teammate Eric Hosmer, pending the lineup announcement from San Diego. Duffy has recently joked that Hosmer “better be” in the lineup.

Today may also be the day that we get our first look at the newly acquired Lucas Duda. He signed on Wednesday but has yet to appear in a Kansas City Royals uniform. Perhaps he can help the club to continue their hot start to the spring.

The Padres

Righty Bryan Mitchell will get the nod for the Padres. He has spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues, all with the New York Yankees. In 98 career innings, Mitchell is 2-6 with a 4.84 ERA. This will be his second appearance of the spring after tossing two scoreless innings in his first appearance.

The Padres boasted a record of 71-91 last season. Believe it or not, they do have players other than Hosmer. Out of the rest of the group, the most notable is another ex-royal, Wil Myers. If you recall, Myers was shipped to Tampa Bay in the Wade Davis trade in 2012, then he was traded to San Diego two seasons later. While it will not be as once expected, it will be neat to see Hosmer and Myers on the field together.

Keys to Success

#SolerPower: Jorge Soler has hit three home runs in as many days. A confident and productive Soler would be great for the Royals going forward. We will be keeping a close eye on him to see if he can keep up the good start.

Reversing Trends: Cheslor Cuthbert, Bubba Starling, and Frank Schwindel are all off to sluggish starts after the first week of action. Little can be derived from these slow starts, but these guys could all benefit from an uptick in production. Of course, we will also eagerly await the chance to get a glance at a few more bullpen hopefuls as the game goes on.

How to tune in

Great news, Royals fans! Today’s game will be broadcasted on television in Kansas City! Be sure to tune in to Fox Sports Kansas City as their coverage begins at 2 PM CST. You can also stream the audio on MLB.com or with the At Bat App. As always, be sure to check back after the game for a recap!