KC Royals: 5 Things KC Must Do To Sneak Into Post-Season

4. Find A No. 5 Pitcher

After Chris Young imploded as the no. 5 pitcher early this season, Dillon Gee has filled in at the bottom of the  KC Royals rotation. Gee has been decent, and a big improvement over Young. But, he’s only produced one quality start in nine outings as a member of the starting rotation.

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For the Kansas City Royals to go on an extended streak of close to .700 baseball, they can’t keep skating over the no. 5 spot in the rotation. They need to find someone who can give the team a better chance to win than Dillon Gee has given them in the last month-and-a-half.

The good news, however, is that help is on the way. Mike Minor pitched 6.0 innings in his rehab start in Omaha on August 12. Kris Medlen worked two scoreless innings for Surprise Tuesday night, and will pitch for Omaha on Saturday. Jason Vargas is scheduled to start for NW Arkansas on Wednesday (today). As a result, Ned Yost will soon have a lot more options to plug into the no. 5 hole.

Can One Returning Starter Get Hot?

Hopefully, one of these three veteran starters can get hot down the stretch and take over the no. 5 role for the KC Royals. If none of them catch fire, at least the added depth will help manager Ned Yost work around the no. 5 slot.

I suppose it’s possible that Dillon Gee could also get on a roll over the season’s final weeks. But, I’m not holding my breath. I think Gee is much better suited for a long relief role.

Here’s to hoping that the much-hyped Mike Minor is as good as advertised.

Next: Thing No. 3