Royals Look to Extend Strong Pitching Against Twins

Kansas City seeks third straight quality start as Noah Cameron makes season debut against Minnesota's Joe Ryan

Apr. 1, 2026 at 1:49am

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The Kansas City Royals will look to continue their strong starting pitching when they host the Minnesota Twins in the second game of their three-game series. Left-hander Noah Cameron, who finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting last season, will make his season debut for the Royals against Twins right-hander Joe Ryan, an All-Star in 2025.

Why it matters

The Royals' starting pitching has been a bright spot early in the season, with their starters posting a 2.01 ERA over the first 22.1 innings. Cameron had success against the Twins last year and will look to keep that momentum going, while Ryan has dominated Kansas City in his career with an 8-1 record and 2.02 ERA in 11 starts.

The details

The Royals received a third consecutive quality start on Monday, with left-hander Kris Bubic allowing just one run on two hits in six innings. That followed strong outings from right-handers Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo. Cameron, 26, finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting last season after posting a 9-7 record and 2.99 ERA in 24 starts, including two solid outings against the Twins. Ryan, a first-time All-Star in 2025, allowed just one hit and struck out seven over 5.1 scoreless innings in his season debut against the Orioles.

  • The Royals and Twins enjoyed a rare day off in the series on Tuesday.
  • Cameron will make his season debut on Wednesday against the Twins.

The players

Noah Cameron

A 26-year-old left-handed starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals who finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting last season after posting a 9-7 record and 2.99 ERA in 24 starts.

Joe Ryan

A right-handed starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins who was a first-time All-Star in 2025. He has an 8-1 record and 2.02 ERA in 11 career starts against the Royals.

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What they’re saying

“The energy in the stadium was electric. The fan support was incredible out there and it was good to get a couple runs on the board early.”

— Kyle Isbel, Royals outfielder

“It's always good getting the first one out of the way. And for it to be a home run was the icing on the cake.”

— Isaac Collins, Royals infielder

What’s next

Cameron will look to build on his strong 2025 season and continue the Royals' run of quality starts against the Twins on Wednesday.

The takeaway

The Royals' starting pitching has been a bright spot early in the season, and they will look to continue that trend with Cameron's season debut against a Twins lineup that has struggled to generate offense so far.