Despite minimal offensive support, the left-hander dismantled Minnesota with a heavy dose of secondary pitches, lowering his ERA to 0.67 against the Twins while fueling Kansas City’s rotation.
The Kansas City Royals topped the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Wednesday night, using another stellar start from left-handed pitcher Noah Cameron to get the job done. Cameron did not get much support from Kansas City's offense, but Michael Massey's late home run helped seal the victory.
Cameron has allowed just one run over his last three appearances, with two of those outings coming against the Twins. Over 23 innings during that stretch, Cameron has allowed just five hits while striking out 24 and walking six, showcasing dominant stuff. Against the Twins this season, Cameron has a 0.67 ERA across four starts.
According to Baseball Savant, Cameron has leaned heavily on his secondary pitches. Of his 106 pitches against the Twins on Wednesday, Cameron threw his curveball, changeup, and slider a combined 63 times. His changeup was his most-used pitch at 23 uses, while his sweeping curveball was his least-used secondary offering at 18. He showed good balance throughout the outing, mixing his pitches effectively.
The left-hander has had an up-and-down season overall. His Jekyll-and-Hyde month of July, which included three starts in which he allowed one run or fewer and two starts in which he surrendered a combined 12 runs, probably has some Royals fans scratching their heads. Those trends are not uncommon, however, as Cameron posted ERAs above 5.00 in both April and June, with ERAs below 3.70 in both May and July.
The 27-year-old is in just his second big league season with the Royals. There is still room for Cameron to develop more consistency and continue refining his approach at the big-league level. If he does, he could become a major weapon in a rotation that includes Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo. Kansas City's front office valued both veterans enough not to trade them at the most recent deadline despite both being 35 or older.
There is a great opportunity for Cameron to finish the season on a high note and carry that momentum into 2027, possibly developing into an ace-level pitcher for the Royals. When fellow left-hander Cole Ragans returns from the 60-day injured list, there is a path for Kansas City to field an above-average rotation with Lugo and Wacha. For now, however, the Royals have the 28th-ranked team ERA in Major League Baseball, ahead of only the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Royals are currently 48-67 and 12 games behind first place in the AL Central.
