The Kansas City Royals continued their up-and-down season with another week of highs and lows. There was more losing than winning this week, as the team fell to 2-4 for its weekly record and is now 57-84 on the season. There are only a few weeks left, so buckle up while the Royals try to play spoiler against clubs with playoff hopes the rest of the way.
At the beginning of every week, 'Mondays with Mark' will dive into the latest developments with the Royals. Have something you want to be discussed? Let Mark know on Twitter @MarkTheOverseer or find Inside the Royals @InsideRoyals.
Brady Singer picks up two quality starts
Brady Singer had a tumultuous start against the Cleveland Guardians on Labor Day. He couldn’t quite seem to get the swing-and-miss stuff going, but he did turn in six innings while only allowing three runs. The Royals ended up losing that game 6-5 in extra innings, but Singer kept them in the game nevertheless.
In his second outing of the week, Singer showed why he has been the best Royals starter this season. During the Sunday finale against the Detroit Tigers, he threw seven shutout innings with six strikeouts to just one walk. He also only allowed four hits in the process.
The solid effort from Singer in the Royals’ 4-0 win dropped his season ERA to 3.21. While many fans may start tuning out as the season winds down, Singer is must-watch television whenever he’s starting the rest of the way.
Zack Greinke returns
Zack Greinke returned after an extended stay on the injured list and threw six innings of one-run baseball. While he may have been on a pitch count, 85 was enough to get him a quality start. The solid effort from the veteran set the Royals up to have a chance to avoid the sweep against the Guardians.
Royals have rare walk-off vs. Clase
As mentioned above, Greinke allowed just one run and the Royals' bullpen took it from there, shutting the Guardians out the rest of the way.
The Royals entered the ninth inning trailing 1-0, but All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase walked the first two batters he faced. MJ Melendez then got an RBI single and after that, it was Salvador Perez with the walk-off sac fly in a 2-1 win.
It was Clase’s first blown save since May 9. Before this loss, he had converted 25 straight opportunities. Scott Barlow came away with the win for Kansas City and moved to 6-4 on the season.
Daniel Lynch and Jonathan Heasley struggle
Both Daniel Lynch and Jonathan Heasley struggled in starts against the Tigers. Lynch gave up six runs in 3.2 innings in a 10-2 defeat for the Royals. The following day, Heasley gave up seven runs in four innings. The Royals lost that one 8-4 in a rain-shortened game that lasted only eight innings.
This week, the Royals will hit the road for three games against the Minnesota Twins and three games against the Boston Red Sox. Kris Bubic (Royals) and Joe Ryan (Twins) are the projected starters for the series opener on Tuesday at 6:40 PM CST.
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