MLB Game Preview - Cleveland at Kansas City
Fri Jul 26, 2019 8:15 PM EDT

COL
12
CIN
2
F
ATL
9
PHI
2
F
LAD
4
WSH
2
F
TB
3
TOR
1
F
ARI
2
MIA
3
F
PIT
3
NYM
6
F
NYY
5
BOS
10
F
CHC
2
MIL
3
F
MIN
6
CHW
2
F
HOU
3
STL
5
F
CLE
8
KC
3
F
TEX
5
OAK
2
F
BAL
9
LAA
3
F
SF
2
SD
1
F(11)
DET
2
SEA
3
F
Royals get Junis back after taxing bullpen vs. Indians
Fri Jul 26, 2019 5:04 AM

When Jakob Junis takes the mound Friday for the Kansas City Royals against the Cleveland Indians, he'll try to be the second Junis to deliver this week.

Junis (6-8, 4.83 ERA) will return from MLB's paternity list after being with his wife, Brianne, who gave birth to their son, Jett Boyd. The couple also has 4-year-old twins. He'll face Cleveland's Zach Plesac (4-3, 3.50) in the second game of a four-game series.

Beginning with the 2011 season, players can choose to leave the team to attend the birth of a child. A player placed on the paternity leave list must miss the next team game, but can miss no more than three games.

"He went home for the birth of his son," manager Ned Yost told reporters when asked if he liked the rule that allows players to leave for the birth of children. "I'm not going to lock him in a closet. It's absolutely a great rule."

But when pressed, he acknowledged that baseball hasn't always been so lenient, such as when Yost himself was a player.

"At times, we all tend to lose sight that this is a game," Yost said. "People have lives. These players have families. You want them to go be there for the birth of their child. When somebody passes away, you want them to be a part of family things."

Junis is coming back at a particularly good time, as both clubs will want plenty of innings from their starters following their 14-inning affair Thursday that the Indians won 5-4. Each team used eight pitchers.

Junis returns on a small personal hot streak. He tossed six scoreless innings against the Indians in a 1-0 victory last Saturday in Cleveland. He allowed just two singles and three walks, while striking out seven to give him 17 strikeouts over his last two starts. That's the most strikeouts for any two-start stretch in his career.

Junis will be making his 10th career start (11th appearance) against Cleveland, which will be his most against any single opponent. He's 3-4 with a 5.73 ERA in his first 10 appearances. He's 1-2 with a 5.87 ERA vs. Cleveland this season.

Plesac also will be facing his most familiar opponent, squaring off against the Royals for the third time in his brief major league career. He's 1-0 against the Royals, earning his fourth victory last Sunday, when he allowed two runs on four hits, with six strikeouts, over six innings.

The rookie isn't worried that the Royals might have figured him out, though.

"I think it's just trying not to change anything, really," he told the media when asked about any adjustments he'd have to make. "Just stick to your strengths. I think about how I approached them the last time I faced them. I know they're going to be making adjustments on me, just like I'll be making adjustments on them.

"At the end of the day, it's a new game. Different pitches might be working better than different pitches did before. Just attack it that way. I don't think I make dramatic changes. Just make reads on their approaches based on the times I've faced them."

--Field Level Media

Team Record Comparison

Team Standings GB W-L Aw/Hm Stk L10
Cleveland            
Kansas City            

Scheduled Starting Pitchers

Zach Plesac - LAA
Matchup
Season
vs. Opp Has not pitched vs. Kansas City
Jakob Junis - MIL
Matchup
Season
vs. Opp Has not pitched vs. Cleveland

Hot Batters (Last 10 team games)

Injury Report

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