Royals Still Fighting To Win AL Central; Bullpen Needs To 'Pick It Up', Per Insider
The Kansas City Royals are only 21 games away from ending their season and time is running out for them to catch up to the first-place Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central.
The Royals are only 4 1/2 games behind the Guardians for the top of their division. Remarkably, they are competing for the AL Central pennant this late in the season, considering that Kansas City finished in last place with a humiliating 56-106 record in 2023.
In an improbable year for the Royals, the bullpen might prevent Kansas City from winning the franchise's first AL Central pennant since 2015, the same year the organization won its second World Series title.
"The Royals need the bullpen to pick it up down the stretch if they’re going to win the AL Central," The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote Friday when discussing how Kansas City's relief core is the club's biggest concern heading into the postseason.
Looking at the Royals' record and the bullpen's performance this season, one wonders how Kansas City has made it this far without falling out of playoff contention.
The bullpen currently ranks No. 25 in the league with a 4.52 ERA and has only recorded 370 strikeouts -- no other relief core has fewer punchouts than Kansas City's.
Shockingly, the Royals bullpen has 57 fewer strikeouts than the Toronto Blue Jays', which has the second-least amount with 427 Ks.
Fortunately, the Royals' rotation is one of the best in baseball and the lineup has plenty of power to compensate for the bullpen's lack of power. If Kansas City can eliminate giving up runs late in the game, they should be a tough team to beat this October.
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NATE HAGERTY
Nate Hagerty joined "Kansas City Royals On SI" to expand his coverage beyond his work with “St. Louis Cardinals On SI.” Hagerty has been involved in baseball in some capacity since he was seven years old and began a career in sports journalism shortly after graduating from Bridgewater State in 2022. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org