Royals fans have something to cheer for.
The Kansas City Royals have crashed back down to earth after a late-season surge that sparked a glimmer of hope in the American League Wild Card picture. Having lost seven of their last 10 games, Kansas City is now 67-88 on the season, which is last place in the American League Central and 13 games back of the first-place Cleveland Guardians.
The wild-card picture is no better, as Kansas City sits 12 games back of the Chicago White Sox and has been officially eliminated from contention there as well. Obviously, this means the rest of the MLB season will mean close to nothing for the Royals, but there is an unexpected opportunity that has emerged in the final week.
Looking at Kansas City’s schedule, the Royals will play their series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon before beginning a six-game homestand to end the year. Those six games will be split against the second-place White Sox and first-place Guardians.
Those two teams are separated by just one game atop the American League Central standings and are also trying to fight off teams like the Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, and Texas Rangers, who are all in the Wild Card mix and, for the two AL teams, in the way of a potential first-round bye as well.
For Kansas City, this means the Royals have an opportunity to play spoiler in a big way. This could be especially sweet given it is division opponents they are facing.
These types of consolation prizes may not mean much to fans, but for a Royals group that has young talent trying to take the next step, playing these next six games like they matter can actually go a long way. And for manager Matt Quatraro, expect him to treat them that way.
There is a level of integrity that managers have when it comes to playing through the finish line and treating all 162 games like they matter, and it is reasonable to expect that for Kansas City. And for fans, it is something to root for.
The AL Central has been one of the most competitive divisions in baseball in recent years, maybe not by record, but by how close it always is. Cleveland has more often than not ended up on top in the last decade, but Kansas City, Chicago, Detroit, and Minnesota have all had time in the mix.
Kansas City hopes to get right back in that mix as soon as next season, and the final six games of this season are a good opportunity to build some momentum towards doing that.
