KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There was nothing but sunshine and heat, mid-90s by gametime, in today's Kansas City forecast. But morning showers have cooled things off, and it should be in the mid-80s when the Twins face the Royals today.
The rain also has pushed first pitch back to 1:30 p.m. CDT.
The forecast was for a Twins series victory here, too, given that they are in first place and the Royals in last, but those predictions have been as accurate as the weathermen. Instead, the Twins are trying to stave off a sweep in Kauffman Stadium, something that hasn't happened since July 20-22, 2018.
Jose Berrios will pitch for the Twins, and he'll face K.C. rookie righthander Brady Singer, whose 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings rate is among the top five in MLB.
Jorge Polanco is back in the lineup after taking Saturday off for the Twins, who depart for Milwaukee immediately after today's game.
The Twins made a roster move before the game, optioning Sean Poppen, who threw 66 pitches over three innings Friday and Saturday, to their St. Paul camp. They added eight-year veteran righthander Cory Gearrin, who will be playing for his seventh MLB team.
Here are the lineups for today's game:
TWINS
Kepler RF
Polanco SS
Cruz DH
Rosario LF
Gonzalez 3B
Sano 1B
Arraez 2B
Buxton CF
Avila C
Berrios RHP
ROYALS
Merrifield CF
Soler RF
Perez DH
Dozier 1B
Mondesi SS
Gordon LF
Franco 3B
Lopez 2B
Gallagher C
Singer RHP
