How the KC Royals reversed their fortunes ahead of series vs. Yankees in New York
The Kansas City Royals needed to turn things around.
A six-game stretch against two American League Central opponents, the Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins, stared them in the face.
Both teams sat ahead of Kansas City in the standings. The Royals, who were reeling after losing seven consecutive games, knew they needed to respond at home.
And, they did.
On Sunday, the Royals swept the Twins at Kauffman Stadium. The victory capped a 4-2 homestand that strengthened KC’s playoff push. The Royals are 2 1/2 games ahead of the Twins for the second spot in the AL Wild Card race.
The Royals also surged forward in the division. They trail Cleveland by 2 1/2 for first place in the AL Central with 18 games remaining.
“Those (Twins, Guardians) are playoff teams,” Royals outfielder Garrett Hampson said. “I think to be able to do that in the division is huge.
“I think, regardless of the opponent, these would’ve been big games. To win those games and sweep them after the seven-game losing streak kind of settles us back in. We are going to take that into the next series and be confident.”
The Royals reversed their perilous course behind terrific starting pitching. KC pitchers allowed just two earned runs in 27 innings against the Twins. Starters Cole Ragans, Alec Marsh and Michael Wacha were dominant during the series.
Ragans set the tone Friday night and Marsh steadied the ship until the Royals came back with some late-inning heroics Saturday. Wacha secured the series sweep with seven scoreless innings and earned his 100th career victory in the process.
The Royals also got timely relief work from converted starters Kris Bubic and Daniel Lynch IV. The duo helped bridge the gap to closer Lucas Erceg, who picked up two saves.
“These guys put themselves in this position in the offseason,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “This is what they expected of themselves. … This is what our hope was, that these guys were the backbone of the team. Good teams have good pitching and we have that expectation for ourselves.”
While quality pitching helped the Royals get back on track, KC’s bats will be counted on more as the regular season winds down this month.
The Royals scored 11 runs against Minnesota. Outfielder Tommy Pham has revitalized the lineup from the leadoff spot and different teammates have filled in behind him. On Sunday, the Royals got a sacrifice fly from utilityman Hampson.
Multiple contributors have helped drive the club’s current four-game winning streak. Pham has had key hits and Hunter Renfroe, who returned from the 10-day injured list, was solid at the plate and in the field. On Sunday, he began a first-inning relay to throw out Twins first baseman Jose Miranda at the plate.
Other Royals, such as Paul DeJong and Maikel Garcia, also made pivotal plays. Speedster Dairon Blanco had an important sequence in which he took extra bases.
“I think everything in the big leagues has ups and downs,” Royals catcher Salvador Perez said. “I think it’s part of the season and part of this game. And the good thing is we fight and we compete. Hopefully no more (losing streaks).”
The team will need to play well down the stretch. The postseason is on the horizon and every player on the roster has a role to fill.
Dominating the Twins was a step in the right direction. On Monday, the Royals can take another leap forward as they open a series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
The series will draw a lot of attention. The Yankees, like the Royals, are looking toward the playoffs and eager to showcase their abilities on a national stage.
The Royals responded at home. Now they must do the same in New York, and then Pittsburgh. Thanks to their excellent play of late, they hit the road with confidence and momentum on their side.
“Now that we have a chance, we aren’t going to take anything for granted and we are going to play hard,” Perez said. “I don’t care who we play. We just got to play hard and try to win the game.”
