The Kansas City Royals will head back on the road for a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays starting on Tuesday.
Despite the Kansas City Royals ranking fifth in the AL Central and going 58-74 overall, they still can't be counted out of the playoff race just yet after winning eight-straight games and securing back-to-back series sweeps.
This past weekend, the Royals swept the Detroit Tigers over three games as right-hander Michael Wacha fanned six batters and gave up a single earned run through seven innings pitched to help secure a 3-1 victory and the series on Saturday.
That same game, journeyman reliever Craig Kimbrel would record his first save as a Royal after joining the club on a minor-league deal earlier in the month.
While Wacha will not see the mound against Toronto, fellow veteran Seth Lugo will look to deliver in his place during Tuesday's opener. Lugo has compiled a 4.71 ERA and 111 strikeouts on the season across 145.1 innings of action.
Randy Dobnak is slated to toe the rubber on Wednesday against Toronto's Shane Bieber who was once a divisional rival on the Cleveland Guardians.
Through his first nine games with Kansas City, Dobnak has posted an impressive 1.58 ERA while striking out 29 batters through 45.2 innings of work.
Meanwhile, 27-year-old standout Noah Cameron will wrap it up on Thursday.
Although he did not have his typical dominant outing against Detroit last Friday, his two strikeouts were still sufficient for Kansas City to earn a 5-2 win.
Offensively, franchise home run leader Salvador Perez is worth keeping an eye on following his first stolen base since 2021 on Sunday. The 36-year-old catcher has batted .222 while recording a .643 OPS and launching 17 home runs.
Nick Loftin is poised to contribute as well after hitting a three-run homer on Sunday against the Tigers that put the Royals ahead 5-1 in the second.
However, Jac Caglianone's status remains to be determined after he sat out with right ankle soreness, an issue that's troubled him since Kansas City's series last weekend against the Los Angeles Angels.
Should Caglianone be sidelined once again, his team-high 60 RBI and 22 home runs will be missed against a Blue Jays squad that has playoff aspirations as well.
For Toronto, Ernie Clement could pose a threat at the plate with his team-best .284 hitting average and 139 hits. Kazuma Okamoto will also look to break out, leading Toronto with 74 RBI and 26 home runs while franchise star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is always to be revered with his .335 on-base percentage.
Kansas City will return to action on Tuesday night at 7:07 p.m. EDT in front of the Rogers Centre faithful.
