The Royals have come to play

It took awhile but with Lugo throwing up zeros and Massey mashing, the Royals secured their second consecutive series against the Blue Jays.

Is there anything better than taking the season series from the Blue Jays?

I’ll answer for you: No. No there isn’t anything better than taking the season series from the Blue Jays. Not when you hold them to two runs over the final two games, including a 6-1 victory on Wednesday. Good times to be sure.

A note before we get into what will be a brief dispatch today…I haven’t had much time on my hands this week to write. One of those things where stuff is just getting in the way. In the past, when that has happened, it hasn’t been that big of a deal. These days, with these Royals…it’s a bummer to have to miss writing at all about them.

So there probably won’t be anything in your inbox from me tomorrow, but I hope to return to regular posting next week.

Anyway, I love games like the on the Royals played on Wednesday. On the offensive side, it just feels kind of deflating through the first half. The Royals didn’t get a hit off Toronto starter Chris Bassitt until the sixth inning. We’ve seen this offense run hot and cold through the first month of the season, but failing to torch Bassitt is a tough one to stomach. He entered the game with a 5.64 ERA. Opponents were hitting .320 against him with a .407 OBP. The guy allows a ton of baserunners. The Royals managed two through the first five innings—a Vinnie Pasquantino walk in the first and a Salvador Perez HBP in the fourth.

But these aren’t your 2023 Royals. First of all, Seth Lugo matched Bassitt zero for zero. Through his first five innings, Lugo allowed three baserunners on one hit and two walks. The Royals starting pitching gives them the weapons to compete in every single game. That’s something. Honestly, given the dreck we’ve seen from this team the last several years, that’s amazing. How many games have we seen where a pitcher most teams are lighting up on a regular basis, throttles the Royals lineup while the team’s starter can’t go five? Don’t answer that.

Somehow, you just know this team is going to scrap and find a way to get runs on the board. Yes, this is a top-heavy lineup, but Kyle Isbel, batting in the number nine spot, came through with the first hit of the game leading off the sixth, a double.

I’m certainly not thrilled that Maikel Garcia gave away an out sacrificing Isbel to third. I wish they’d never do things like that. I’ll take solace in the fact that they’ve only attempted three sacrifices. Garcia’s was the second time they were successful.

Of course, if someone is going to pull this team off the mat and push some runs across, it’s going to be Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez. I mean…mercy.

(I was not surprised when my gambling friends from Vegas sent an email yesterday posting Witt as having the second-best odds to claim the AL MVP award. He’s behind only Juan Soto.)

Witt single. Pasquantino double. Perez single. That’s how this team does business. A productive out from Michael Massey brought home the inning’s third run and the guys who couldn’t touch Bassitt finally got him the third time through the order. There’s a couple of lessons here I suppose. One, the times through the order penalty is real. Especially for starters like Bassitt. Two, the Royals are never, ever out of the game. Not in 2024.

Most of the same gang got back together in the eighth against the Jays bullpen as Massey launched his second home run of the year off the foul screen down the line in right to cap off the scoring with a three-run blast.

Chris Stratton holds the Jays down in the eighth when the Royals had a two-run lead. Nick Anderson has the ninth when the lead ballooned to five. Just like they drew it up in their pregame meeting.

The Royals are 19-13, two games back of the Guardians in the Central. Their run differential of +50 is the best in the majors. And they’re playing some fun baseball. As we are now into May, I don’t think we could’ve asked for anything more from this team at this point.