This story was originally published by Dead Spin
The Kansas City Royals will try to get back to making the most of their opportunities on Monday night when they open a three-game series with the visiting Detroit Tigers.
Despite leading the American League in batting average with runners in scoring position (.285), Kansas City (82-68) went just 1-for-12 in such situations on Sunday during a 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“We needed to capitalize more,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We had baserunners in several innings (on Sunday) and just couldn’t come up with the big hit to take the lead or break it open.”
Quatraro realizes his club isn’t always going to come through in the clutch, but now is a bad time not to. Kansas City is currently clinging to the second AL wild-card spot, although the Minnesota Twins (2 1/2 games back) and the Tigers (five games back) are still within striking distance.
“I really believe in the volatility of that,” Quatraro said. “It’s not something that’s going to be steady all the time, hitting with runners in scoring position.”
Right-hander Seth Lugo (16-8, 2.94 ERA) hopes to see some more consistency from the Kansas City bats when he makes his 31st start of the season for the Royals.
Lugo most recently pitched last Tuesday, earning a win against the New York Yankees by scattering three hits across seven scoreless innings. He struck out 10 and didn’t issue a walk.
In three career starts against Detroit, Lugo is a perfect 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA. Two of those outings have come this year, with Lugo holding the Tigers to one run and seven hits in 15 innings here in 2024.
And offense wasn’t what Detroit relied on over the weekend in a three-game set against the Orioles. The Tigers took two games from Baltimore, but they totaled just seven runs in the series.
However, Riley Greene packed a punch in Detroit’s 4-2 win over the Orioles on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs. A first-time All-Star this year, Greene has hit .389 (14-for-36) over his past nine games.
“He’s not a finished product, and I know the All-Star season makes you feel that way,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said of Greene. “He’s still learning, growing and developing. He’s getting more and more comfortable with his game plan, and I thought he did a great job with that specifically.”
Detroit (77-73) has won six of its past eight games to keep itself in the wild-card race.
“I think we just need to keep showing up every day to play,” Hinch said. “We’re going to stay grounded where we’re at and just take the next step toward the next game.”
The Tigers have not officially named a starter for Monday’s contest, but there’s a chance that right-hander Reese Olson (4-8, 3.23) gets activated from the injured list to take the mound.
Olson has not pitched in the majors since July 20.
“Everything is going fine,” Hinch said Saturday. “We don’t really have to fully commit, so I’m doing my best to not fully commit, but I’m sure hoping that (Olson) pitches in the Kansas City series.”
–Field Level Media
