The Kansas City Royals have seemingly turned things around at just the right time. After having seemingly buried themselves in the American League Wild Card race, they have now won five consecutive games. A 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday got them to within 2 1/2 games of the final spot, currently occupied by the Seattle Mariners. They are four games over the .500 mark for the first time since May 25.
This is a huge step for the Royals, who won 86 games back in 2024 and secured a Wild Card spot, marking their first postseason appearance since winning their World Series title back in 2015. They were also very busy at the trade deadline, boosting their offense with some veteran additions.
However, there is still a little cause for concern with this team. Right-hander Seth Lugo has been struggling since the end of July, posting a 7.44 ERA in that span. Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report listed one major red flag for every team in Major League Baseball. For the Royals, it was that Lugo has struggled since agreeing to a contract extension just prior to the deadline.
“The Royals have been chipping away over the last two months, going 26-15 since the start of July. As usual, their pitching and defense have carried them in allowing only 4.1 runs per game in this span,” Rymer wrote.
“Yet whereas Lugo is normally at the tip of the spear, he has a 7.44 ERA since shocking everyone by agreeing to an extension in late July. He even fell short of six innings in three straight outings, something he failed to do just twice in his previous 20 starts.”
Lugo is 8-6 with a 3.77 ERA and 2.0 WAR in 23 starts this season. He has also struck out 110 batters in 131 1/3 innings. However, the former All-Star has certainly struggled since being given the extension. He was expected to be traded as part of a fire sale, but the Royals suddenly turned things around and kept him under contract.
But his ERA has skyrocketed by almost a full run since he was given the extension, and that is certainly concerning for a team that is trying to make a playoff push. With Lugo not at full strength, the Royals could be in trouble.
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