Opening Day FAQ: Twins vs. Royals

The Twins and Royals will waste no time kicking off their 2023 American League Central schedules with an opening weekend matchup.

The two clubs are in different eras, with Minnesota firmly in “win-now” mode after re-signing star shortstop Carlos Correa and bolstering the rotation this offseason following last year’s disappointing finish.

Kansas City is developing its young talent, headlined by Bobby Witt Jr., at the Major League level and hopes to take a step forward after a 97-loss season in 2022. The changes the club made this offseason were more in the dugout rather than on the field -- headlined by new manager Matt Quatraro. The Royals also have a new bench coach, pitching coach, assistant pitching coach and bullpen coach.

These eras officially start on Thursday.

When is the game and how can I watch it?
First pitch is slated for Thursday at 3:10 p.m. CT, live on MLB.TV. Royals fans can watch on Bally Sports Kansas City. Twins fans can watch on Bally Sports North.

What are the lineups?

Twins:

1. Max Kepler, RF
2. Carlos Correa, SS
3. Byron Buxton, DH
4. Trevor Larnach, LF
5. Jose Miranda, 3B
6. Nick Gordon, 2B
7. Joey Gallo, 1B
8. Christian Vázquez, C
9. Michael A. Taylor, CF

Though there was originally some uncertainty regarding Miranda’s ability to play third base, manager Rocco Baldelli said on Monday that Miranda should be able to throw well enough to get the job done. There won’t be any “standard” lineup this season for the Twins, who will play matchups based on both platoon splits and deeper underlying factors.

Royals:

1. Bobby Witt Jr., SS
2. MJ Melendez, RF
3. Salvador Perez, C
4. Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B
5. Franmil Reyes, DH
6. Michael Massey, 2B
7. Hunter Dozier, 3B
8. Kyle Isbel, CF
9. Edward Olivares, LF

Lineup construction will be fluid as the Royals play the matchups -- the handedness of the pitcher and how many righties or lefties there are in the rest of the lineup -- but Melendez and Witt will get most of the opportunities up top. Edward Olivares got the nod in left over Bradley, who made the team, along with Reyes. Nicky Lopez is likely first off the bench and he could slide in at second or third base depending on the matchup, especially if Quatraro wants to throw as many lefties at Twins starter Pablo López as possible.

Who are the starting pitchers?
Twins: RHP Pablo López
The core of López’s arsenal has always been his wipeout changeup, but he has spent Spring Training working on multiple breaking pitches in an effort to better keep hitters guessing. The Twins thus hope there’s more to be unlocked in their first-time Opening Day starter, who pitched to a 3.75 ERA in 32 starts for the Marlins last season -- the first fully healthy campaign of his career. López is aware of the high expectations created when Minnesota dealt reigning American League batting champion Luis Arraez to acquire him -- and he’s eager to show he can be even better in the Twin Cities.

Royals: RHP Zack Greinke
Opposite López is a guy who has been there, done that on Opening Day. Greinke will make his seventh Opening Day start – an honor he acknowledged he gets “maybe a little” excited about, even if it’s just because he’ll avoid the Opening Day festivities and gets to focus on pitching. At 39 years old, Greinke is still reinventing himself, manipulating his pitches – six, seven, eight of them? – to get outs as his velocity and strikeouts have decreased. Greinke’s third Opening Day start with Kansas City – the organization that drafted him No. 6 overall in 2002 – will kick off his 20th Major League season, another step toward Cooperstown one day.

How might the bullpens line up after the starter?
Twins: It’s all about bridging the gap to the back end, where fire-breathing monster Jhoan Duran and his 103 mph fastball await -- though it remains to be seen if he’ll start seeing more of the ninth inning. He is at the head of a high-leverage group that also features Griffin Jax, Jorge López and Caleb Thielbar, with Baldelli typically choosing to employ matchup-based usage within that group to protect narrow leads. Jorge Alcala, Jovani Moran and Emilio Pagán could factor into situations with lesser leverage.

Royals: The bullpen appears to be improved from a year ago; at least, it’s deeper. Scott Barlow will be the closer, a role he prefers. That leaves lefty Aroldis Chapman and righty Dylan Coleman -- both consistently hit 100 mph -- as the setup men, with a major caveat: They both must find the zone. They are both dominant presences on the mound, Chapman with the track record and Coleman with the rising potential, but both can be erratic at times. To help with lefties, the Royals have Amir Garrett. Also figuring into the relief mix are Carlos Hernández and Taylor Clarke, both who can go two-plus innings. Ryan Yarbrough is the long reliever.

Any injuries of note?
Twins: First baseman/outfielder Alex Kirilloff and starting second baseman Jorge Polanco are slated to begin the season on the injured list due to the impacts of their injuries from last season.

Kirilloff underwent a second consecutive season-ending surgery on his right wrist last August, and though he has played in Minor League Spring Training games, he tracked slightly behind the Twins’ schedule for him and didn’t appear in a game on the big league side. The lingering effects of Polanco’s bone bruise to his left knee led to a slowed buildup this spring, with Minnesota eventually running out of time in what had originally been a tight schedule to get him ready in time for Opening Day.

Royals: Lefty starter Daniel Lynch (left shoulder strain) and outfielder Drew Waters (left oblique strain) will both open the season on the injured list. Lynch sustained his injury last week, putting him out of a rotation spot and leaving the team iffy on starting depth. The Royals haven’t named their fifth starter yet, although that won’t affect this weekend. Waters’ injury happened at the beginning of spring, causing Kansas City to sign Bradley to a Minor League deal for outfield depth. Lynch and Waters hope to only miss a month of the regular season.

Who’s hot and who’s not?
Twins: Minnesota’s high-leverage bullpen group looks to be in great shape, as none of Duran, Jax or Jorge López allowed a run all spring, with their stuff playing up. Most of the projected lineup regulars also looked ready for the regular season, with Larnach, Miranda, Kepler and Kyle Farmer looking particularly impressive at the plate. Newcomer Donovan Solano took a while to find his footing at the plate, and Buxton hasn’t had much time to adjust to full-speed big league pitching in games.

Royals: Greinke ended his Cactus League season with a good tune-up against the Dodgers, allowing two runs in 5 2/3 innings, and best of all, he’s healthy and feeling good. Garrett didn’t allow a run scored all spring, while Barlow was his usual, efficient self. On the hitting side, Isbel and Reyes led the team in hits this spring (16), while Melendez came back from the World Baseball Classic and homered twice in three games. Witt hasn’t had much time to adjust to big league pitching in games with his time away at the WBC (and lack of at-bats there), but he did homer against the Dodgers’ Dustin May on Saturday.

Anything else fans might want to know?
• The last time the Twins and Royals met at Kauffman Stadium on Opening Day was all the way back in 2002, when Brad Radke faced Jeff Suppan in an 8-6 Minnesota victory. Jacque Jones, Torii Hunter and Brian Buchanan homered for the Twins that day -- as did David Ortiz!

• López is the second Venezuelan pitcher to start Opening Day for the Twins. The other: Johan Santana.

• This will be Greinke’s third Opening Day start with the Royals, tied for third most in franchise history, trailing Kevin Appier, who started on Opening Day a club record seven times, and Dennis Leonard (four).

• The Royals will debut their full powder blue uniforms for the first time since the early 1990s and will give away a Bobby Witt Jr. bobblehead to fans at the game.