Royals Sweep Seattle!
Meanwhile an AL Central rival takes a big blow
No time today for a full GBU article, suffice it say that the boys are playing some ball. The Royals are back home after a 3 game sweep of the Mariners in Seattle over the weekend, resulting in a 4-2 road trip. It was the first sweep of the Mariners by KC since 2017 and only the third road sweep by KC in the history of the matchup.
The Royals have now won 7 of their last 9 games to bring their season record to 15-19, 2.5 games back of both the Guardians and the Tigers who share the AL Central lead at 18-17. Baby steps people.
Speaking of Cleveland and Detroit, they are both visiting the K this week for the biggest homestand of the season. After the homestand the Royals go to Chicago for 3 against the Sox, so the next 10 games are against division rivals currently ahead of Kansas City. Yes it’s only the first week of May, but I don’t think you can overstate the importance of this 10 game stretch.
Alex is spot on as usual. The Tigers are a wounded team with the news today that ace Tarik Skubal would miss at least 2-3 months with elbow surgery. He will likely return before the end of the season, but it’s a huge blow to Detroit’s hopes for 2026.
First up are the Cleveland Guardians, in town for a 4 game set. Let’s look at the pitching matchups…
Tonight - RHP Michael Wacha (2-2, 3.13) vs RHP Tanner Bibee (0-4, 4.08)
Don’t let the numbers fool you, Bibee is a quality pitcher who has been tough on the Royals in his career (4-0 record, 3.06 ERA). He relies on his cutter, 4 seamer, and changeup. Bibee also has a slider he likes to use against right handed hitters. Could be a big night for Vinnie Pasquantino as he has absolutely raked Bibee. The Pasquatch is 9-15 (.600) with a 2B, 3B, and 2 home runs.
Tuesday - LHP Noah Cameron (2-2, 5.40) vs RHP Gavin Williams (5-1, 2.70)
Williams has been very tough on the Royals. He is 2-1 in 9 appearances with a 2.28 ERA. Right handed hitters will see a lot of his sweeper, Williams uses his 4 seam fastball and curveball against leftys. The only Royal with decent numbers against Williams is Salvador Perez (6-17, .353).
Wednesday - LHP Cole Ragans (1-4, 5.29) vs LHP Joey Cantillo (1-1, 3.67)
Cantillo has a career 1.61 ERA against the Royals and only gave up 1 ER in 5 2/3 innings in a start earlier this year. Bobby Witt Jr is 3-9 against him, but after that the numbers are pretty grim. Cantillo is a fastball-changeup guy who has an excellent sweeper he uses against left-handed hitters. It will be interesting to see if LH bats like Kyle Isbel, Carter Jensen, and Jac Caglianone are in the lineup against Cantillo.
Thursday - RHP Seth Lugo (1-1, 2.68) vs RHP Slade Cecconi (1-4, 6.56)
Cecconi’s been ungood this year, but his eyes might light up when he sees the Royals in the other dugout. His only appearance against KC was last September when he tossed 8 shutout innings, allowing only one hit. Yikes.
Get out to the K this week if you can to cheer the boys on. This is an absolutely crucial week. The Royals really need to win at least 6 of the next 10 games, but 7 or 8 would be a lot better. Anything less than 6-4 is a disaster.
No excuses.