3 happy takes from another winning KC Royals weekend

Two keys to the KC Royals' 2023 starting rotation pitched quite well

Kansas City won't make its way out of the American League Central cellar this season unless its rotation improves considerably. Two big league veterans, Zack Greinke and Jordan Lyles, are especially important to the group of starters new manager Matt Quatraro will rely on to avoid a second consecutive last place finish.

The weekend was good for both.

Greinke, who signed another one-year deal to return to the club he came back to last season, started against the Dodgers Saturday night and surrendered a run and three singles in three innings. He struck out three and lowered his ERA to 1.80.

He gave up two singles to start the second but escaped with little damage after inducing two groundouts and striking out Steven Duggar to end LA's one-run inning. Only a walk in the third blemished Greinke's final frame of the night. He's now been nicked for two runs in five Cactus League innings.

Lyles started Sunday and, pitching for the second time this spring, fanned three and limited San Francisco to three hits over three scoreless innings. Credited with the win, he's 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA.

The Royals signed Lyles, who led Baltimore's rotation with 12 wins last year, two a two-year, $17 million free agent contract in December. Expect him to pitch in the middle of Quatraro's rotation.