On Aug. 27, the Kansas Metropolis Royals had been tied for first place within the AL East with the Guardians. Since then, they’ve suffered by way of two seven-game dropping streaks and finally fell out of competition for the divisional title. Cleveland has already gained the division, and the Royals are 7.5 video games again.
The most recent dropping streak ended Wednesday with a 1-0, 10-inning victory over the Nationals. With their run within the tenth inning, the Royals ended a 27-inning scoreless streak. Actually, the Royals suffered a six-game stretch the place they scored simply 5 runs.
Whereas the offense has swooned not too long ago, the pitching has been terrific. Their pitching workers has an intact franchise file of 26 scoreless innings going into the sequence finale with the Nationals. Their excellence has saved the Royals within the wild-card race. Over the past 18 video games, the pitching workers has allowed greater than 4 runs simply 3 times and given up two or fewer runs 10 instances. They’re solely 9-9 in these video games.
In these 18 video games, their pitching workers ranks sixth in ERA (2.64) and fourth in strikeouts per 9 innings (10.14), per Statmuse. However, they rank twenty first in batting common (.222), twenty third in residence runs (11), and twenty second in runs scored (57). Not lots of these 9 wins had been because of the hitting.
Regardless of the September skid by the offense, the Royals nonetheless maintain a slim two-game cushion for a wild-card berth with 4 video games to play, thanks not solely to their pitching however as a result of the Twins have crashed simply as arduous as Kansas Metropolis has.
Amazingly, the Royals’ two historic streaks of inept offense and excellent pitching overlapped throughout their 4 most up-to-date video games. Kansas Metropolis is lucky to have gained two of these video games to maintain their postseason desires alive.
The Royals have one recreation left with the Nationals, after which they journey to Atlanta to face the Braves, who’re additionally preventing for a playoff spot. Groups wish to play significant video games till the tip, and this season-ending remaining sequence qualifies. It needs to be an entertaining weekend with Royals followers sitting on pins and needles till they safe that elusive playoff berth.
