The Royals look to rebound after a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Thursday.
The Kansas City Royals were supposed to start a three-game home series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night, but the weather didn't cooperate. Therefore, they'll play a doubleheader on Saturday to make up for it, per their social media.
The originally scheduled Saturday game will be at 2:10 p.m. ET, and the makeup game will be at 7:10 p.m. ET. Right-handed pitcher Luinder Avila will start the first contest for Kansas City, and right-hander Chad Patrick will start for Milwaukee.
The Royals won two out of three games against the Minnesota Twins in their last series to open their home slate, but they lost the final contest 5-1 on Thursday. They're 3-3 entering Saturday, while the Brewers are 5-1.
Royals Give Luinder Avila First Big-League Start
Kansas City Royals pitcher Luinder Avila (58) and catcher Carter Jensen (22). © Dennis Lee-Imagn ImagesKansas City has several proven veterans on the pitching staff, but Avila has the chance to carve out a role for himself as a rookie. The club's No. 9-ranked prospect logged a 1.29 ERA in 13 big-league appearances out of the bullpen last season, but Saturday will be his first start.
Avila won the World Baseball Classic with Team Venezuela in March, and he gave up one run (zero earned) over 4.1 innings during the tournament. The Royals then optioned him to Triple-A to start the regular season, but recalled him on Friday.
Avila is 23-35 with a 4.55 ERA over 121 career outings (93 starts) in the minors. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder also went 2-3 with a 5.23 ERA over 14 games (nine starts) in Triple-A last season, and he gave up two earned runs over three innings in his lone Triple-A start this year.
Avila will fill in for right-hander Michael Wacha, who was scratched from his start due to an illness, per MLB.com's Anne Rogers. The team doesn't anticipate Wacha missing another start, and Avila is built up for 60-70 pitches, per Rogers.
Although Avila might not be in the rotation for long, he could make his case to stay in the big leagues for now if he tosses a gem on Saturday. The club could put him in the bullpen once Wacha returns, although it would have to send someone else to the minors as well in that case due to the 26-man roster limit.
Right-hander Seth Lugo will start the second game for Kansas City. The 36-year-old threw a 6.1-inning shutout against the Atlanta Braves in his season debut on Sunday, which the Royals won 4-1.