The Royals are back home after a six-game trip out west that ended with a 2-4 mark, though they did leave Anaheim with a series win over the Angels. Now they open a seven-game homestand with four straight against the Athletics of no particular city, and Kansas City will lean on a rotation that brings a little bit of everything to the table.
The series opens with Michael Wacha (5-8, 3.47 ERA) facing Mason Barnett (1-3, 6.16 ERA). Game two features Daniel Lynch IV (4-4, 2.88 ERA) against Jack Perkins (2-9, 7.27 ERA).
Seth Lugo (5-7, 4.59 ERA) is set for game three opposite Gage Jump (5-7, 4.50 ERA), and the finale pairs Randy Dobnak (2-1, 1.73 ERA) with J.T. Ginn (8-7, 3.53 ERA).
Dobnak’s latest outing was a strong rebound from a rough showing against the Cubs. Against the Angels, he went 5.2 innings, gave up four hits, allowed no runs and walked two while striking out a season-high six. Kansas City still lost 1-0, but Dobnak has been doing exactly what the Royals hoped for since bringing him in.
He may not pile up strikeouts or completely avoid traffic, but he keeps digging out of trouble and making hitters pay. The biggest drivers behind his success in a Royals uniform have been his LOB% and his ability to get ground balls.
Among starters with at least 30 innings pitched, Dobnak’s 88.4 LOB% ranks third, and his 54.0% ground ball rate ranks eighth. He’s leaning hard into what he does best, and it’s working.
Lynch IV, meanwhile, has had a tougher time settling back into the rotation. Since returning to starting, he has made two starts and posted a 13.50 ERA over four innings. Those outings came against the Cubs and Dodgers, two strong clubs, but the results haven’t matched his usual level.
In both appearances, he allowed three hits and three runs, just in different ways. The Cubs got to him with some control issues, as he walked two, while the Dodgers hurt him with the long ball, including two homers in 2.1 innings. There has been one consistent positive: he has still missed bats, striking out five across those two starts.
Lynch has already faced the Athletics and has handled them well before, so this matchup could offer a chance to straighten things out.
At the plate, Carter Jensen has been in a deep funk since August began. He is hitting .091/.245/.205 with an OPS of .450 and a wRC+ of 33, and the Royals have felt that absence of production in the lineup. During that stretch, he has produced very few line drives at 10.3%, lifted a lot of fly balls at 51.7%, and has not done much damage with his contact, posting a 37.9% hard-hit rate.
There are a few possible reasons for the slump, but a mental reset might be part of the answer. He has at least continued to draw walks at a 15.1% clip. Kansas City will hope a series against an Athletics pitching staff without many standout options can help Jensen find his swing again.
In Other News...
Royals Force Bullpen Reset With One Trusted Arm Suddenly In Trouble
The Royals made a notable bullpen shakeup by sending reliever Lucas Erceg to Triple-A Omaha, a move meant to give him a chance to reset after a difficult season. Kansas City has not given up on the right-hander, and the organization said it believes he can bounce back while he works on specific parts of his pitching away from the big-league spotlight.
To fill the roster spot, the Royals turned to another arm from Omaha, promoting right-handed reliever Carlos Duran. It is the kind of midseason adjustment that can quickly change the look of a bullpen, especially when a pitcher who has been trusted in leverage suddenly needs a step back to sort things out. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Core Is Rising But One Problem Still Wont Go Away
A 4-2 week gave the Royals a little of everything, from series wins over the Angels and Athletics to a reminder that the group around Bobby Witt Jr. is starting to look more dangerous. Jac Caglianone and Michael Massey both supplied strong offense, Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia were back from the injured list and contributing in their own way, and Noah Cameron capped the stretch with a complete-game shutout that stood out even in a productive run.
But the same week also made clear that the roster still has some uneven edges. Lucas Erceg was sent to Triple-A Omaha after a rough stretch, while Brett Collins and Nick Loftin both slid the other direction offensively, leaving Kansas City with a familiar balancing act: enough emerging production to stay encouraged, but still one recurring issue it has not quite cleaned up. [Read more 🡒]
Bobby Witt Jr. Keeps Giving Royals Fans A Reason To Believe
Bobby Witt Jr. keeps finding ways to turn a rough stretch into something worth hanging onto, and his latest late-inning swing did just that. With the Royals trailing the Athletics into the ninth, Witt delivered the game-winning single that sent Kansas City home with a 4-3 victory, another reminder that even in an uneven season, he has become the player fans can count on to change the tone of a night in one at-bat.
Witts production has stayed loud all season, with a .287 average, 15 home runs, 47 RBIs and 33 stolen bases across 108 games, and the broader team record has not dimmed his value. For a Royals club still searching for consistency, his blend of contact, power and speed has given the lineup a centerpiece and the fan base a reason to believe there is still something to build around. [Read more 🡒]