KC needs to win today or they cannot finish above .500
With the Royals’ walk-off loss last night, they must win the two remaining games in order to finish above .500.n No wins have come easily for the Royals this year, but Oakland is one of two teams that the Royals simply have been unable to beat, losing their first four contests to the nomadic sportsmen in the green and gold.
The Royals will face right-hander Luis Morales. This will be the 22-year-old’s ninth big league start. Here’s what FanGraphs had to say about him before the season when they projected he would make his big league debut in 2027:
The way Morales is built and moves is way different than most other prospects and gives him enormous theoretical ceiling, but to say he’s undercooked as a pitching craftsman would be an understatement.
That delivery seemed to really confuse some teams early on, but he’s been gotten too lately. His season ERA is 3.07, but over his last four starts, he’s pitched to a 5.06 ERA instead. He struggles with walks and home runs, doesn’t strike out many, but has stranded more than 90% of his baserunners. He’s due for some serious regression, but will it come in his final start of the season?
Also making his final start of the season will be Michael Wacha. Wacha was the last starter from the Royals’ opening day roster to hit the injured list when he suffered a concussion during unspecified off-field activities during the Cleveland series. He missed the minimum amount of time, but has been truly awful in his two starts since returning. He had a 3.45 ERA prior to the injury, but his season ERA has now risen all the way to 4.00, thanks to allowing 13 earned runs in only 7.2 innings for a 15.26 ERA. Maybe he’ll rebound today and finish the season strong.
Lineups
Jac Caglianone gets a rare night off while Nick Kurtz leads off for his team. John Rave and Michael Massey will continue their auditions at the bottom of the lineup, each hoping to find room on next year’s roster. Adam Frazier, after missing what appeared from home like two catchable flyballs in left field to allow all the A’s’ scoring, starts there again.
Category: General Sports
