Probable pitchers and starting lineups, KC Royals vs. Seattle, May 14

Two years ago, KC Royals starter Michael Wacha pitched quite well in his only season with the Red Sox. He was 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA, statistics that were the best among the members of Boston's rotation.

Wacha was even better after moving on to San Diego last season. His 14-4 record and 3.22 ERA were excellent, but overshadowed by the 14-2, 2.25 performance that earned fellow Padres starter Blake Snell the National League Cy Young award.

Wacha is now a Royal, added over the winter to bolster the strength and experience of a rotation plagued too long with inconsistency and inexperience. But unlike his past two seasons, 2024 is, at least so far, not brimming with improvement. Instead, Wacha is 2-4, 5.15, and has work to do if he's going to get back on track.

Fortunately, he took a significant step forward in his most recent start. Pitching against the Angels last Thursday, he allowed only two earned runs and three hits, and struck out six, in six innings; although he also walked five, the effort was good enough for his second win of the season, and gave the club reason to look forward to his next start.

That start comes tonight when he faces Seattle at T-Mobile Park. Game time is 8:40 p.m. CDT.

The contest, the second of a three-game series, gives the Royals the chance to even things with the Mariners, who won Monday night's opener 6-2. Kansas City is 25-18 and in third place in the American League Central; Seattle leads the AL West with a 23-19 record.

Who is Seattle manager Scott Servais starting against Michael Wacha?

Servais is sending Logan Gilbert to the mound. The fourth-year Mariner is 3-1 with a 2.94 ERA in eight starts. But Minnesota bludgeoned him in his last outing — the Twins scored eight runs against him in only four innings.

Gilbert has faced the Royals five times and is 2-0, 5.27 against them.

Who's in Kansas City's starting lineup?

Here's manager Matt Quatraro's lineup:

Who's in Seattle's starting lineup?

Here's how the Mariners will take the field:

How to catch the Royals tonight

Bally Sports Kansas City will televise this evening's Kansas City-Seattle game. Streamers can find options here. KCSP-AM 610 Sports Radio will carry the broadcast, as will the other stations on the Royals Radio Network.

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