There is no easing into a new role for Kansas City Royals left-hander Daniel Lynch IV, who will face off against a playoff contender for the second consecutive time in his return to the starting rotation.
Lynch will be on the mound Wednesday when he faces the two-time defending champion and host Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lynch (4-3, 2.45 ERA) made his first start of the season Friday against the Chicago Cubs and gave up four runs (three earned) on three hits over 1 2/3 innings.
After his first 46 appearances were in relief, Lynch won’t throw a starter’s typical workload yet. He threw 35 pitches in the start against the Cubs for just his third outing of the season with at least 30 pitches and his first since May 20.
“That’s another thing that I want to hammer down,” said Lynch, who had a 1.96 ERA in 46 innings as a reliever. “When I go out there, I want to be the same guy I’ve been all year.”
Lynch made a total of 42 starts in his first two seasons (2021-22) with the Royals but primarily has been a reliever since 2024. While the opportunity to start again came about by need, the Royals intend to stick with the change.
“Our hope is that he stays in (the rotation) for the rest of the season, and we’ll see,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We don’t know that he’ll be built up completely to throw six, seven, eight innings, … but if he takes this and runs with it, that’s something we can consider.”
Lynch has three career appearances (two starts) against the Dodgers, going 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA.
The Dodgers are set to send left-hander Eric Lauer (6-6, 4.89) to the mound as they try for a sweep following consecutive one-run victories. Lauer joined the Dodgers in a late May trade with the Toronto Blue Jays and has been effective from the outset.
The Dodgers were 9-0 in Lauer starts until he took the loss last Wednesday against the Cubs when he was rocked for six runs on 11 hits over four innings.
Lauer has faced the Royals three times (one start) and is 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA.
The Dodgers saw Blake Snell throw six strong innings Tuesday in his first start in three months following elbow injury. Max Muncy delivered a game-ending hit in the 10th inning for a 5-4 victory, while Mookie Betts hit a home run with two RBIs.
The Dodgers won consecutive games for the first time since July 29-30. In between, they went 1-8 in series against the Boston Red Sox, Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Betts is batting just .235 with a .697 OPS, the lowest numbers of his career. So while he feels more confident at the plate, the former American League MVP and eight-time All-Star was hesitant to say he is back in top form.
“I don’t know,” Betts said. “We’ll just go with a good day at the plate. We seem to have this story over and over again, so we’ll see tomorrow if we can string something together. But I’m happy to be able to help the boys and pull out a W.”
–Field Level Media
–Field Level Media
