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Some continued success against the Washington Nationals could be what the Kansas City Royals need to spark a surge down the stretch.<\/p>\n
Looking for a sixth consecutive victory over the visiting Nationals dating back to 2023, the Royals can take the three-game series Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
Kansas City is one game under .500 and has three teams to catch to move into an American League wild-card spot. The Royals also haven’t strung more than four wins together since their 16-2 stretch from April 20-May 9.<\/p>\n
“You’re running out of season,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “We’ve just got to get better.”<\/p>\n
Following a 4-5 trip, the Royals earned a needed 7-4 home victory over Washington on Monday. Salvador Perez hit a tying two-run homer in the sixth inning, and Kyle Isbel put Kansas City ahead with a own two-run shot later in the frame.<\/p>\n
Kansas City has won three straight at home and six of its past eight home contests, where it began a 10-game stretch.<\/p>\n
“It’s good to be home,” said All-Star closer Carlos Estevez, who recorded his 30th save on Monday. “Let’s enjoy it and play the best baseball we can.”<\/p>\n
Perez has hit 14 of his 21 home runs this season against NL opponents.<\/p>\n
The Royals’ scheduled Tuesday starter, Michael Wacha (6-9, 3.36 ERA), has been stellar while going 2-0 with a 1.78 ERA in his past five starts. On Wednesday, the veteran right-hander allowed two first-inning runs at Boston, then nothing over the next five while not yielding a walk overall during Kansas City’s 7-3 victory.<\/p>\n
Wacha is 4-2 with a 3.02 ERA in eight career appearances, seven starts, against the Nationals, but he has a 7.62 ERA in his last three starts vs. Washington.<\/p>\n
Josh Bell, who hit one of the Nationals’ two two-run homers Monday, has gone deep twice against Wacha. Paul DeJong was Washington’s other homer hitter in the series opener. He is 7-for-14 with two homers and five RBIs in the past three contests for the Nationals, who had won the last two games of a three-game weekend series at San Francisco.<\/p>\n
Scheduled Washington starter Mitchell Parker (7-12, 5.43 ERA) allowed a combined four runs over 11 2\/3 innings to win his final two starts of July, but he is 0-2 with a 12.00 ERA in August. The left-hander yielded four runs, three walks and six hits over five innings of a 6-0 loss to the Athletics on Thursday.<\/p>\n
“It’s obviously not where we want to be,” Parker said. “Just trying to build on the good (pitches). … Just got to execute the pitches when the appropriate time. Limiting the damaging.”<\/p>\n
Parker was hardly dented in his only previous appearance against the Royals, last Sept. 24. He allowed five hits and two walks but no runs in five innings during a Washington’s 1-0, 10-inning loss.<\/p>\n
Perez and Isbel are a combined 2-for-5 against Parker. Isbel, traditionally known more for his strong defense than his work at the plate, is batting .394 (13-for-33) with seven RBIs in nine August games.<\/p>\n
Kansas City’s Adam Frazier is 7-for-9 in the past two games.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n