The big news ahead of tonight's game is that the Royals have made yet another of the moves Royals twitterdom has been begging for for several weeks. Nate Eaton was demoted and Samad Taylor receives his first promotion to the big leagues. Taylor was excellent in AAA this season with a 123 wRC+ thanks in part to a .304 batting average, a .409 OBP, and 24 extra-base hits in 62 games. He's also stolen 34 bases, third across the entirety of AAA, and played defense all over both the infield and outfield.
That said, it does not appear Taylor will be making his debut tonight as he failed to crack the starting lineup even after Michael Massey was scratched with a finger laceration. Also missing from the lineup is Salvador Perez who took a pitch off of his hand in Wednesday night's contest. The x-rays returned negative and he's listed as day-to-day but we all know the issue must be more serious than we had thought if he isn't out on the field, tonight.
Meanwhile, Brady Singer will take the mound for the Royals. I'm not sure what there is left to say about him. After seeming to turn a corner last season it appears he walked into oncoming traffic this season. His unsightly 6.58 ERA sees him continue to start in the big leagues only because the Royals completely lack any credible options to replace him or Wednesday night's pitcher, who is somehow even worse.
The Angels will counter with Patrick Sandoval who is having a terrific season in comparison, despite falling off quite a bit from what had appeared to be a breakout season for him in 2022, as well. Sandoval has, oddly, never faced the Royals despite pitching parts of the last five seasons with the Angels. The lefty is coming off of a pair of particularly bad starts against the Astros and Mariners respectively. Will he right himself against KC's meager offense, or can KC take advantage of a guy when he's down and finally end their current losing streak?