KANSAS CITY ROYALS NEWS

Joel Payamps - Earns win in relief Payamps (1-3) earned the win in relief Saturday against Seattle after tossing 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and fanning two.

Impact Payamps picked up his first win of the season and managed to bounce back from an ugly outing the last time out -- he allowed two runs on three hits across two-thirds of an inning in his previous appearance against Seattle on Aug. 26. That has been the only blemish in Payamps' recent performances, though, as he has tossed seven scoreless outings over his last eight appearances. He owns a 2.40 ERA across 11 outings since the beginning of June.

AUGUST 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Daniel Lynch - Lasts 4.2 innings Lynch didn't factor into the decision Saturday against the Mariners after allowing one run on seven hits and three walks while striking out four across 4.2 innings.

Impact Lynch pitched in normal rest despite the fact that his start was moved up to Saturday, and he continued the series of strong performances he's been hurling of late. He has gone 4-1 with a 2.24 ERA across his last seven starts.

AUGUST 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Salvador Perez - Extends homer streak Saturday Perez went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's win over the Mariners.

Impact Perez is having an excellent year at the plate and is riding an otherworldly power surge -- he belted back-to-back grand slams earlier this week and has now homered in four straight games, as well as doing so in five of his last six contests. Perez is now second in MLB in homers with 37 dingers and only trails Shohei Ohtani (41) in that department.

AUGUST 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Bats can't break through in loss to KC  The Mariners had opportunities on Saturday against the Royals, but the big hit never came. As a whole, Seattle went 1-for-7 with runners in...

AUGUST 28, 2021 • MLB.COM

Mariners lose third straight to Salvador Perez and the Royals to open crucial homestand Following a third straight loss to the Royals, the Mariners might have nightmares for a long time about Kansas City slugger Salvador Perez t...

AUGUST 28, 2021 • SEATTLETIMES.COM

Salvador Perez homers again as Royals topple Mariners 4-2

Salvador Perez homered for the fourth straight game, lining a two-run shot off the top of the fence for his 37th of the season to lead the Kansas City Royals over the Seattle Marin...

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Emmanuel Rivera - Added to Saturday's lineup Rivera is batting eighth and playing first base Saturday against the Mariners.

Impact Rivera steps up to replace Carlos Santana, who was scratched with hip soreness. It will be his first career appearance at first base.

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Carlos Santana - Scratched with hip soreness Santana was scratched from Saturday's lineup against Seattle with lingering soreness from his recent hip flexor injury, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Impact Santana exited Monday's game and was out through Thursday with the hip issue, and apparently he isn't totally over it despite starting Friday. It's unclear whether he'll be available off the bench Saturday, and he should be considered day-to-day until further notice. Emmanuel Rivera entered the lineup to play first base.

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Ryan O'Hearn - On bench Saturday O'Hearn is not starting Saturday's game against the Mariners, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Impact Even after a three-hit night Friday, O'Hearn is still hitting just .207 with a pair of doubles and no RBI in his last 10 games. Salvador Perez is DH'ing and batting third Saturday.

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Emmanuel Rivera - Takes seat Saturday Rivera is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mariners, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Impact Rivera went 2-for-5 on Friday and has now hit .306 with a double, a home run and three RBI in his last 10 games. Hanser Alberto is playing third base and batting eighth Saturday.

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Andrew Benintendi - Sits against lefty Benintendi is not starting Saturday's game against the Mariners.

Impact A 1-for-6 showing Friday lowered Benintendi's average to .286 with a home run, five doubles and four RBI in the last 10 games. Hunter Dozier shifts to left field Saturday, with Edward Olivares getting the start in right.

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Nicky Lopez - Knocks three hits Lopez went 3-for-6 with an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 8-7 extra-innings win over Seattle.

Impact The 26-year-old opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning. Lopez was also on base when Salvador Perez hit a game-tying grand slam in the fourth. Through 24 games in August, Lopez has batted a solid .280 with a home run, 11 RBI, 11 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. That's right in line with his season triple-slash of .282/.353/.354. The shortstop can't be counted on for much power, but he's been a solid contact hitter even after moving up to the No. 2 spot in the order earlier in the month.

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Ryan O'Hearn - Three hits in win O'Hearn went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Friday's 8-7 extra-innings win over Seattle.

Impact While O'Hearn was solid throughout the first seven innings, the newly recalled Edward Olivares replaced him in right field. It was Olivares who delivered a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning and a two-run home run in the 12th that ultimately propelled Kansas City to the win. O'Hearn has posted an unremarkable .235/.268/.405 slash line with nine home runs, 28 RBI and 21 runs scored across 213 plate appearances this year. It appears he will compete with Olivares, Hunter Dozier and Carlos Santana for playing time at first base, right field and designated hitter.

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Josh Staumont - Collects extra-innings win Staumont (3-2) allowed an unearned run on one hit and one walk while striking out two over 1.1 innings, earning the win over Seattle on Friday.

Impact The right-hander returned from a one-day absence on the COVID-19 injured list, and he was able to get out of the 11th inning after Richard Lovelady left two on with two outs. Staumont returned for the 12th to protect a two-run lead, and while he yielded one run on a groundout, he was able to finish off the marathon win. The 27-year-old now has a 3.33 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 59:22 K:BB through 51.1 innings, filling a versatile high-leverage role out of the bullpen.

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Royals vs Mariners Prediction and Pick for MLB Game Today From FanDuel Sportsbook Today's slate of MLB games includes a clash between the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners. Royals vs Mariners Prediction and Pick Toda...

AUGUST 28, 2021 • FANDUEL.COM

Whit Merrifield - Swipes 38th bag Merrifield went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs, a walk and a stolen base in Friday's 8-7 victory versus the Mariners.

Impact Merrifield led off the game with a double and quickly stole third base before scoring the Royals' first run. The theft was his 38th of the campaign, moving him two behind Starling Marte for the league lead. Merrifield has been red hot at the plate of late, registering five multi-hit efforts over his past seven games. Over that span, he is slashing .419/.457/.710 with a home run, nine RBI, eight runs and two stolen bases.

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Edward Olivares - Swats decisive homer in return Olivares went 1-for-1 with a two-run home run and a sacrifice fly in Friday's 12-inning victory versus Seattle.

Impact Olivares entered the contest as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning. In his first plate appearance, he registered a 10th-inning sacrifice fly that gave the Royals a brief lead. Olivares then belted a two-run homer in the 12th frame that stood up, as the Mariners could manage only one run in the bottom of the inning. The 25-year-old has gotten only 58 at-bats this year, but he's demonstrated good power in the limited sample, going deep five times. He's also notched nine RBI, eight runs and two stolen bases.

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Salvador Perez - Belts another grand slam Perez went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and a walk in Friday's 8-7 extra-innings win over the Mariners.

Impact Seattle got off to an early 5-1 lead in the contest, but Perez erased the deficit with one swing in the fourth inning. The homer marked his third straight game with a long ball and his second straight with a grand slam. Per ESPN, he joined Mike Piazza and Bill Dickey as the only catchers in history to belt a grand slam in consecutive games. Perez is tied with Vladimir Guerrero for the second-most homers (36) in MLB this season, trailing only Shohei Ohtani (41).

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Carlos Hernández - Dominates in extended relief outing Hernandez hurled 5.2 innings in relief against the Mariners on Friday, allowing an unearned run on one hit and no walks while striking out six. He did not factor in the decision.

Impact The right-hander was originally slated to start Saturday's contest against Seattle, but he was instead called upon in relief Friday after starter Kris Bubic made it through just 4.1 frames. Hernandez was nearly unhittable in his 80-pitch appearance, retiring the first 14 hitters he faced before yielding an unearned run when a single and sacrifice fly plated Seattle's designated runner in the 10th inning. The 24-year-old has surrendered just one earned run while striking out 14 over his past 12.2 frames and will almost certainly rejoin the rotation next week.

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Daniel Lynch - Start moved up to Saturday Lynch, who was originally scheduled to start Sunday's game against Seattle, will instead start Saturday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Impact The shifting of the starting rotation became a necessity when Saturday's projected starter, Carlos Hernandez, was called upon to hurl 5.2 innings in Friday's extra-innings win. Lynch's last start was Monday at Houston, so he will be pitching on normal rest. The left-hander has been on a roll of late, posting a 2.27 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 4-1 record over his past six starts.

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Kris Bubic - Falters versus Seattle Bubic pitched 4.1 innings against Seattle on Friday, allowing five runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out six. He did not factor in the decision.

Impact The southpaw entered the contest with some momentum after a strong outing against the Cubs, but he couldn't keep things going Friday. Bubic tied his season highs with nine hits and four walks while completing less than five innings for the third time in his past four starts. Only two of the hits against him went for extra bases, but the volume of singles and walks was enough to force Bubic into an early exit. He'll try to straighten things out in his next start, which is likely to take place at home versus the White Sox next weekend.

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

'An MVP-style season': Perez hits another game-changing slam for Kansas City Royals Salvador Perez has more grand slams than strikeouts in his past two games.

AUGUST 28, 2021 • KANSASCITY.COM

Anderson expected to start as Seattle hosts Kansas City

The Royals will start Carlos Hernandez on Saturday while the Mariners are expected to counter with Tyler Anderson

AUGUST 28, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Salvy's slams highlight 'MVP-style' season SEATTLE -- It was almost as if you knew it was going to happen. For the second consecutive game, Salvador Perez came to the plate with the b...

AUGUST 28, 2021 • MLB.COM

Olivares' HR powers KC to 12-inning win SEATTLE -- From the high of Salvador Perez’s second grand slam in as many days to the tense atmosphere of a pitching duel between two bullpe...

AUGUST 28, 2021 • MLB.COM