Sept. 16 – The Kansas City Royals will look to make the most of their opportunity Monday night in a three-game series against the visiting Detroit Tigers.
Despite leading the American League in batting average (.285), Kansas City (82-68) lost 4-3 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, hitting just 1 home run in 12 shots.
“We need to invest more money,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We had runners on base in a couple of innings (Sunday) but couldn’t get the big hit to take the lead or break the game.”
Quatraro realizes his club hasn’t always performed well in crucial moments, but now is a bad time. Kansas City currently holds onto the second AL wild-card spot, though the Minnesota Twins (2 1/2 games back) and Tigers (5 games back) are still within striking distance.
“I really believe in this impermanence,” Quatraro said. “It’s not just about being consistent, hitting the ball into scoring position.”
Right-hander Seth Lugo (16-8, 2.94 ERA) hopes to see more consistency in Kansas City’s batting in his 31st start for the Royals this season.
Lugo last pitched in a win over the New York Yankees last Tuesday, scattering three hits over seven scoreless innings. He struck out 10 times but did not reach base.
In three career games against Detroit, Lugo is a perfect 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA. That happened twice this year, and Lugo held the Tigers to just one run and seven hits in 15 innings here in 2024.
The offense that Detroit relied on during the weekend’s three games against the Orioles was a non-starter. The Tigers won two games over Baltimore, but they only scored a total of seven points in the series.
However, Riley Greene was brilliant, going 2-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs in Detroit’s 4-2 win over the Orioles on Sunday. Greene, a first-time All-Star this year, is hitting .389 (14 on 36 field goals) over his past nine games.
“He’s not the finished product and I know that’s what an All-Star season makes you feel like,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said of Green. “He’s still learning, growing and developing. He’s getting more comfortable with his game plan and I think he’s doing a good job of it.”
Detroit (77-73) has won six of its last eight games to remain in contention for a wild-card spot.
“I think we have to keep competing every day,” Hinch said. “We’ve got to keep our feet on the ground and take the next step for the next game.”
The Tigers have not officially named a starter for Monday’s game, but right-hander Reese Olson (4-8, 3.23) could be activated from the injured list to take the mound.
Olson has not appeared in a major league game since July 20.
“Everything went great,” Hinch said Saturday. “We don’t really have to fully commit, so I’m trying not to fully commit, but I’m certainly hopeful that (Olson) will be able to play in the Kansas City series.”
–Visual-level media
