Royals should keep AL Central hopes high

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Disappointing series finale vs. Guardians shouldn't dim Royals' AL Central hopes

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Aug 28, 2024 4:05 PM ET

The Kansas City Royals let one slip away from them with first place on the line in the AL Central.

Kansas City lost the final game of a four-game series with the Guardians on Wednesday, 7-5, in a battle for sole possession of first in the division.

The Royals led 5-2 entering the bottom of the seventh but gave up five runs over the next two innings to spoil the potential sweep.

Despite the unsatisfying (for the Royals) conclusion to the pivotal AL Central set, Kansas City showed it has what it takes to win its first division crown since 2015 when the franchise won the World Series and last made the postseason.

The Royals won the first three games of the series with the Guardians to erase the 10 games it had fallen behind Cleveland earlier this season.

Royals have a chance to sweep the Guardians in 4 games today.

AL Central since June 26th: pic.twitter.com/zcrrFij6AS
— Brendan Tuma (@toomuchtuma) August 28, 2024

Per FanGraphs, the Royals began Wednesday with the AL's best record (32-20) since June 26. Their pitchers have kept the ball inside the park — they've allowed 0.99 home runs per nine innings during that span — and the offense has been a juggernaut.

Kansas City hitters have an MLB-best .281 batting average during the team's summer surge.

Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. has been the central figure, and he has a compelling case for AL MVP, an award that will likely go to Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.

Witt leads the AL with a .346 batting average. Per Baseball Reference data entering Wednesday, 67 of the 295 baserunners with Witt at the plate have scored (22.7%), the second-highest rate among batters with at least 250 plate appearances.

As a team, Kansas City is eighth in runs per game (4.88) despite ranking 23rd in total baserunners thanks to its league-best 17.7% base-runner score rate.

The Royals have arguably the best situational hitting in the majors, and their timely hitting should boost their chances of overtaking the Guardians.

They could have another chance in a few days. Following a four-game road series with the AL West-leading Astros (70-62) from Thursday through Sunday, the Royals (75-59) host the Guardians (76-58) for three games from Sept. 2-4.

That's the last time the teams meet in the regular season. Considering how strong the Royals have been since the end of June, we wouldn't be surprised if they make the most of the opportunity.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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