Seth Lugo shakes off rough stretch as Royals extend winning streak to 5 games
Kansas City Royals All-Star starter Seth Lugo was having a rough month.
After signing a lucrative contract extension with the Royals, Lugo had looked pedestrian across his last three starts. The underlying numbers fluctuated each time out, and that led to an elevated earned run average in August.
Prior to Tuesday’s start, Lugo had posted a 10.66 ERA (15 earned runs in 12 ⅔ innings) while failing to escape the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals.
Lugo said he felt physically fine after those starts. However, concerns grew because he dealt with a right middle finger sprain earlier this season. The injury landed him on the 15-day injured list and recent results further raised questions.
Was Seth Lugo hurt?
Lugo and the Royals dispelled the injury notion. Lugo said the injury was no longer a concern and that he simply needed to pitch better.
On Tuesday, Lugo showed signs of his dominant form. He allowed two earned runs, three hits and struck out five batters. The Rangers belted two home runs, but Lugo did enough to reach the seventh inning on 102 pitches.
“I thought I threw the ball well,” Lugo said. “I thought I stayed on the attack, mixed up my pitches well and executed pretty well. Gave the team a chance to win.”
The Royals (65-61) won 5-2 at Kauffman Stadium. Lugo didn’t factor into the decision but silenced any lingering doubts against a quality Rangers lineup.
“I tried to smooth out my mechanics a little bit,” Lugo said postgame. “Felt like I could have the same arm speed on all my pitches and try to keep the same thought process and same attack plan. I just tried to be a little smoother and execute better.”
KC is now riding a five-game winning streak. Vinnie Pasquantino led the offensive charge with a solo home run in the first inning. He later began a seventh-inning rally with a leadoff double just past Rangers center fielder Evan Carter’s outstretched glove.
Pasquantino leads the Royals with 24 home runs and 83 RBIs. He scored the go-ahead run after Jonathan India was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
The Royals settled for one run in the seventh. John Rave grounded into a double play to end the inning with a short lead.
Then, Bobby Witt Jr. sealed the victory with his 100th career home run in the eighth inning. He is the youngest Royal to reach the plateau.
“It’s special just seeing the names on the list,” Witt said. “... But now it’s just on to the next. It’s special and we enjoy it. Just right now, we are trying to win ballgames.”
From there, the Royals relied on their bullpen: Angel Zerpa and John Schreiber combined to toss 2 ⅔ scoreless innings. Schreiber picked up his first save after closer Carlos Estévez had pitched seven of the last nine games.
“It’s been a nice little stretch here,” Pasquantino said. “We’ve been playing some good ball on both sides, so it’s been good. Flip the script and get ready for tomorrow. But we like where we’re at, and we like where we’ve been. And we need to keep doing it.”
Seth Lugo posts efficient start
Lugo had nine pitches working against the Rangers. While he didn’t get a significant amount of whiffs, he was able to induce many swings. The Rangers recorded 37 swings, resulting in four hits on the night.
In the first inning, Lugo surrendered a two-out home run to Rangers shortstop Corey Seager. Lugo left an 87.8 mph changeup over the plate and Seager sent it over the center-field wall.
However, Lugo settled in and kept the deficit manageable. He retired eight of his next nine batters before Joc Pederson homered into the right-field seats.
“I don’t think he made too many adjustments,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “... That’s clearly a huge part of why we won that game because of what he was able to do. Six-and-a-third (innings), really effective. I mean, the two homers, the pitch before the (Seager) homer goes the other way and that’s a different count and different possible outcome.”
Lugo gave the Royals a chance. The pitching performance also reminded fans of his 2024 form when he finished second in American League Cy Young voting.
“Regardless, he pitched extremely well,” Quatraro said. “He was efficient and got into the seventh inning which was really big.”
Lugo now sports a 3.73 ERA as he appears to have gotten back on track.
What’s next: The Royals continue their four-game series against the Rangers on Wednesday night. Left-handed rookie Noah Cameron (7-5, 2.47 ERA) draws the start at Kauffman Stadium with first pitch slated for 6:40 p.m. Central.
This story was originally published August 19, 2025 at 9:17 PM.
