Woe is the Royals fan right now.
Nothing is going right for the Royals so far this month. Not all that long ago, the Royals were just a single game back of the third and final Wild Card sport in the American League.
Since then: three straight losses. Three runs total. A loss to a bad Twins team thanks to a crackerjack Sunday lineup, two meaningful losses to the former Tribe, a team that has now jumped the Royals in chasing the Mariners for that sixth and final playoff spot.
No life in the lineup on Sunday. Pitching shelled on Monday and damn near no-hit.
Noah Cameron dealt on Tuesday, but so what? The lifeless lineup let him down. There was a chance—there almost always seems to be a chance in these games—at the very end with the tying run on first with only one out and the two big bashers coming up.
Pasquantino struck out swinging
Perez struck out swinging.
Now, with 17 games remaining, the Royals are four games back of the last Wild Card. Worse, instead of just chasing the Mariners, they’re now chasing the Rangers and Guardians, too.
Bobby Witt Jr. missed some time with lower back spasms, but now he’s back. And so is Jonathan India. And yet, at the same moment, Michael Wacha heads to the Injured List. Cole Ragans is throwing again, making rehab starts while chasing storms, but the clock is ticking, the calendar is turning quickly, and it’s already September 10th.
There just aren’t that many games left.
At this point, is it worth pushing Ragans?
This team has shown it doesn’t quit. It won’t quit the rest of the way, for that, I’m certain. But it feels like these guys are running on fumes. The lineup’s picture is on the back of milk cartons across the nation, the rotation is being worked on at Firestone, and the bullpen is scavenging for parts.
What’s left for Q to do? Well…don’t start Sunday’s lineup again, that’s for damn sure. But aside from that—hey, guys, maybe try hitting the ball. I haven’t coached my sons in baseball, but I have in soccer, and I’ll admit, instructing them to kick the ball into the opposing team’s net is surprisingly effective.
Jokes aside, Q and the front office have done well to get this team to this point. In the No Man’s Land that is September, when the roster is all but set, there’s little to no help on the horizon. J.J. & Co. have played their cards right by calling up certain players from the minors, those players have performed well to help keep this armada afloat, but that’s it. No more players to call up. No more cards to be dealt. No more moves to make.
This is it. This is the team that makes that last stand.
Before the season, I wrote to enjoy the ups of the season. Of course. But also try to find a silver lining in the downs. I could take my own advice right now. I’m trying. I’m really trying.
All I see, though, is the season ending in Sacramento on September 28th.
All I see is an empty October.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.royalsreview.com ’
