In the last day game that I will cover this season, the Kansas City Royals will attempt to complete the sweep over the Washington Nationals this afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. A win would also get them above .500 for the first time since June 10.
Kansas City will start Seth Lugo. In three starts since signing an extension with the team, Lugo has been roughed up to the tune of a 7.53 ERA. He has walked ten batters against nine strikeouts while allowing four homers in 14.1 innings. He will look to get back on track against a Nationals offense that has scored at least four runs in four straight games. Lugo last faced Washington in June of 2023 with the Padres, allowing three runs across five innings.
The Nationals will counter with Jake Irvin. Irvin has started 81 games for Washington over the past three seasons to prove he belongs in a big league rotation. He hasn’t quite looked the part with a 4.61 ERA, including a career-high 4.90 this season. He leans heavily on a low-90s four-seamer and sinker and upper-70s curveball while also mixing in a changeup, slider, and cutter. None of them grade out particularly well, but the sinker has been good at limiting hard contact. Irvin has never faced Kansas City.
Wow, a repeat lineup! This is the exact same batting order and defensive alignment that Matt Quatraro ran out in last Wednesday’s game against Boston. The Royals scored seven runs on 12 hits in that game — let’s hope for similar offensive success today.