KANSAS CITY -- The foggy and rainy conditions may have made it harder to see the ball in the air Wednesday night, but Royals hitters had no trouble seeing it at the plate against Twins ace Joe Ryan.
The Royals have historically struggled against Ryan, who made his 12th career start against them on Wednesday and entered with a 2.02 ERA. Wednesday went the other way: Kansas City knocked nine hits and scored five of its runs against Ryan in its 13-9 win over the Twins at Kauffman Stadium, winning the series ahead of Thursday’s finale.
And the Royals needed all of that offense in a game that saw rain fall pretty much the entire time. They led 12-1 in the sixth inning only to see that lead shrink with every pitcher who stepped on the mound, eventually leading to Lucas Erceg entering with one out in the ninth to secure the save.
Manager Matt Quatraro likes to say he’ll take the production wherever it comes in the lineup, and he’s not wrong about that. But Wednesday’s offense was fueled not by the star hitters, but by the bottom of the lineup -- and the Royals will definitely take that.
The Nos. 6-9 hitters went 10-for-16 and drove in eight runs, including Jonathan India’s grand slam in the sixth inning and Kyle Isbel’s solo shot in the seventh.
But it’s what happened early that stood out. Jac Caglianone, hitting seventh, got it started in the second inning by hitting a two-out double. No. 8 hitter Isaac Collins followed with an RBI double, and Isbel, the No. 9 hitter, kept it going with an RBI single. Isbel then stole second, allowing him to score on Maikel Garcia’s single as the lineup turned over.
This comes a game after Collins and Isbel both homered at the bottom of the lineup in Monday’s home opener. And don’t think it goes unnoticed that all three of those hitters -- Caglianone, Collins and Isbel -- made up the Royals’ outfield on Wednesday, the position group that has struggled the most the past few years and has needed an upgrade.
Two games is hardly a sample size, but given how poorly the bottom of the order performed in 2025, the Royals like what they’re seeing so far in ‘26. Last year, hitters 1-5 in the lineup posted a .262/.325/.439 slash line with 113 home runs in 3,515 plate appearances. The 6-9 hitters, in 2,493 plate appearances, posted a .226/.286/.338 slash line with 46 home runs.
Teams are naturally going to put their best hitters at the top of the lineup, so some difference is to be expected. But Royals’ 6-9 hitters had a .624 OPS last season, third-worst in the Majors and only better than the Angels (.612) and Pirates (.614).
There will be days in which the star hitters don’t perform. On those days, the rest of the lineup must step up. And when everyone shows up? That’s when the Royals’ offense turns into a lot of fun.
The early run support was good enough for Royals starter Noah Cameron, who tossed five innings of one-run ball in his season debut.