KANSAS CITY — Sitting at his locker stall, Royals starter Jason Hammel pondered the question for a moment. He had an unexpected answer.



“Lester,” he said. “Honestly.”



OK, let me explain. I had stumbled over to Hammel’s locker this week with a very specific question. The Royals are set to face the Los Angeles Angels this weekend in a four-game series at Kauffman Stadium. The club will become the latest team to face off against Shohei Ohtani, the two-way Japanese phenom who spent his first weeks in the majors laying waste to the best baseball league in the world. He had opened his career by hitting three homers in five games, batting .368 with a .400 on-base percentage as a designated hitter — and notching a 2-0 record as a pitcher while striking out 18 batters in 13 innings. He will put both skills on display this weekend.



So, yes. The upcoming matchup with Ohtani — he’s slated to start on...