Kansas City Royals: Fourth Postseason Picture Update

Contrary to the doom-and-gloom predictions floating around social media, the Kansas City Royals are still in the playoff hunt. Right in the thick of it, actually. Here’s how things look at this point.

In most years, the current version of the Kansas City Royals would have virtually no chance of making the postseason. They enter the final week of August with a losing record, albeit just a game below .500 at 64-65.

Even still, it’s pretty sad that this team has a legitimate (mathematical) chance to make the playoffs. At this point, the Kansas City Royals don’t appear to belong in the postseason.

I mean, this isn’t the NBA or NHL where they let over half the teams make the playoffs. You are supposed to earn your chance to win the World Series. The only problem is nobody seems to want the second Wild Card spot in the American League.

And really—as nutty as this season has been—it would almost be fitting for the Kansas City Royals to run off 20 wins in September to edge the Twins, Angels and, well, almost every other team in the AL for the final Wild Card spot.

With that in mind, let’s see how things in the postseason picture shake out at this point of the season.

Just Playing Spoiler

“I’m just here, so I don’t get fined.” It’s one of Marshawn Lynch’s better postgame media quotes ever. But it, thankfully, doesn’t apply to many of the players on these next three teams.

Since we’ve done these weekly postseason update articles on KoK, the trio of the White Sox, Tigers and Athletics have been rooted to the bottom of the standings. (Although, Oakland did pass up Detroit this week.) That hasn’t stopped them from tripping up a few teams along the way.

Things will get a lot more interesting for these three teams when rosters expand in September. The organizations in Chicago and Oakland, in particular, are full of talented minor league players. These teams are playing for the future, and their players are hoping to show they belong on Opening Day rosters in 2018.

Chicago White Sox

Overall record (through Sunday): 52-77

Last week: 5-3

This week: Off Monday, at Minnesota Twins (Tue.-Thu.); vs. Tampa Bay Rays (Fri.-Sun.)

The Kansas City Royals—and every other team in the Wild Card race—owe the White Sox a huge debt of gratitude for taking three out of five games against Minnesota earlier this week.

That showing in an elongated home series shows the talent already on the White Sox. Chicago’s most impressive win of the series came on Wednesday. Facing a 3-1 deficit, the White Sox scored single runs in the sixth, eighth and ninth innings for the walk-off win.

Chicago has a chance to do the Kansas City Royals a few more favors this week. The White Sox have three more games against the Twins and three against the Rays, following Monday’s well-earned day off.

Detroit Tigers

Overall record (through Sunday): 56-73

Last week: 2-4

This week: At Colorado Rockies (Mon.-Wed.); off Thursday; vs. Cleveland (Fri.-Sun., includes doubleheader Friday from June 30 rainout)

A terrible end to the season has been on the cards for a while in Detroit. This week, though, things took an even uglier turn.

On Thursday, an all-out brawl took place between the Tigers and Yankees after Detroit veteran Miguel Cabrera began fighting with New York catcher Austin Romine. The fight-marred game was the only win in the series for the Tigers.

Things could get really ugly for them this week. A Colorado team looking to get going late will try to pour on the runs. That’s followed by four games against Cleveland.

Good luck with that.

Oakland Athletics

Overall record (through Sunday): 58-72

Last week: 4-2

This week: At Los Angeles Angels (Mon.-Wed.); off Thursday; at Seattle Mariners (Fri.-Sun.)

One of the most impressive series sweeps of the week—outside of Cleveland—occurred in Oakland over the weekend. The Athletics shut down what had been a high-powered Rangers offense.

The A’s allowed just seven runs total in the series, while themselves scoring eight runs two separate times. Texas had entered the week playing as well as anyone. The Rangers had just taken three of four from the Angels, and that was after going 5-2 last week.

Oakland will once again influence the Wild Card race heavily this week with three games apiece against the Angels and Mariners. Both teams are currently 1.5 games behind the Twins for the last Wild Card spot.

Right on the Cusp

Kansas City Royals

Overall record (through Sunday): 64-65

Last week: 2-4

This week: Vs. Tampa Bay Rays (Mon.-Wed.); off Thursday; at Minnesota Twins (Fri.-Sun.)

Things were going swimmingly for the Kansas City Royals through the first half of last week. The team looked set to sweep Colorado and carry a four-game winning streak into Cleveland. Then Mike Minor allowed a two-run homer in the eighth inning of Thursday’s game that gave the Rockies a 3-2 win.

It all went downhill after that. The offense scored zero runs. I repeat, the offense scored ZERO runs the entire Cleveland series. When you add in scoreless frames from Thursday, the Kansas City Royals enter Monday having not scored in 35 consecutive innings.

And yet, the team has been given every opportunity by those teams above them in the standings to remain in the race. It’s still stunning to think this team, which has a 9-16 record in August, is still just 2.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot.

Baltimore Orioles

Overall record (through Sunday): 65-65

Last week: 5-1

This week: Vs. Seattle Mariners (Mon.-Wed.); vs. Toronto Blue Jays (Thu.-Sun.)

The risers of the week in the Wild Card race were the Orioles. Their sparkling run might not end this week either with a hot-and-cold Seattle and fading Toronto visiting Camden Yards.

Baltimore opened the week with a pedestrian series win against Oakland, taking two out of three from the Athletics. The Orioles, though, re-announced themselves as legitimate Wild Card contenders with an impressive three-game sweep of the Red Sox over the weekend.

The series was a thorough domination with Baltimore outscoring its East Division rival by a 25-4 margin. With their next 10 games at home, the Orioles could very well climb above the Twins in the not-so-distant future or at least jump the Angels and Mariners, whom they sit just a half-game behind.

Seattle Mariners

Overall record (through Sunday): 66-65

Last week: 3-3

This week: At Baltimore Orioles (Mon.-Wed.); off Thursday; vs. Oakland Athletics (Fri.-Sun.)

The Mariners are currently treading water. (Pun not really intended but acknowledged.) With a starting rotation in a constant state of flux, Seattle has been impressive just to hang near the top of the Wild Card pecking order.

Weeks such as this past one—where the team finished 3-3—are becoming the norm. As bad as many of the teams chasing the Wild Card places have been, a .500 record is probably not going to yield a playoff spot.

Each week remains crucial for a Seattle team that doesn’t seem likely to put a long string of wins together. This week should be a good test with three games against a resurgent Orioles bunch and a trio of contests against an A’s squad that just swept the Rangers.

Los Angeles Angels

Overall record (through Sunday): 66-65

Last week: 2-5

This week: Vs. Oakland Athletics (Mon.-Wed.); off Thursday; at Texas Rangers (Fri.-Sun.)

It had seemed too good to be true. After a recent hot streak, the Angels fell back down to earth. (I got a million of them.) It took an incredible comeback on Saturday just to give the team a two-win week.

In the midst of a long divisional stretch, Los Angeles will expect to rebound over the next seven days. However, given the team’s performances from the past week, that is anything but a guarantee.

Despite being just 1.5 games out of the second Wild Card place, the Angels are seemingly at a crossroads as September looms. With little minor league help available, Los Angeles could really start to lose ground once rosters expand—relegating Mike Trout to another season without playoff baseball.

AL second wild card spot

Minnesota Twins

Overall record (through Sunday): 67-63

Last week: 4-4

This week: Off Monday; vs. Chicago White Sox (Tue.-Thu.); vs. Kansas City Royals (Fri.-Sun.)

A handful of teams will have Monday off this week, but few will relish it as much as Minnesota.

Coming off a rare eight-game week, in which all the games took place on the road, the Twins will deservedly enjoy some R&R before six games against the White Sox and Kansas City Royals this week.

The Twins will look for a bit of revenge after losing three out of five against Chicago last week. Minnesota also will hope to put even more distance between itself and Kansas City when it comes to the Wild Card standings.

The most astounding part of Minnesota’s recent run is how much of it has happened with Miguel Sano on the disabled list. After tearing the cover off the ball (or missing it entirely) for most of the season, the slugger has been on the DL for over a week now.

The Twins haven’t missed him all that much thanks to the offensive explosion that has come from Byron Buxton. Here is what the young center fielder did against Toronto on Sunday: 4 for 5 with three home runs, four runs scored and five RBI.

If Buxton continues his great play when Sano returns, Minnesota could end up pulling away from the pack to land this coveted playoff spot.

AL first wild card spot

New York Yankees

Overall record (through Sunday): 70-59

Last week: 4-2

This week: Vs. Cleveland (Mon.-Wed.); vs. Boston Red Sox (Thu.-Sun.)

The Yankees started and ended the week with two straight wins. New York, though, lost the middle two contests of their six-game week, but it was still good enough to earn a pair of series wins.

Those victories—combined with a sudden slump by the Red Sox—has the Yankees just 2.5 games back in the East Division standings. Not only have the Bronx Bombers closed the gap on their chief adversary, but they have also added a little breathing room in the Wild Card chase.

New York’s edge over Minnesota for home-field advantage in the Wild Card game is up to 3.5 games. Even more importantly, the Yankees are five games clear of the Angels and Mariners, who sit just outside the playoff field. All told, New York would have to fall into quite the September swoon to miss out on the postseason.

That being said, the schedule is not kind to the Yankees this week. They play seven games this week—all against division leaders. New York plays Cleveland for three games beginning Monday and four games with Boston. Although, the Yankees do have the benefit of playing all of those games at home.

If the young team—with a suddenly shaky bullpen—wants to prove it can be a force in October, then winning both of its series this week will go a long way towards achieving that.

AL Central leader

Cleveland

Overall record (through Sunday): 73-56

Last week: 5-2

This week: At New York Yankees (Mon.-Wed.); off Thursday; at Detroit Tigers (Fri.-Sun.)

Cleveland looked like the best team in baseball not named the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend. Or was it just that the Kansas City Royals looked like the worst team in baseball?

Kansas City Royals

Probably a little of both. But it’s hard to deny Cleveland, which is still dealing with a slew of injuries, is looking like the favorite to win the American League pennant.

The week began with a four-game split against Boston that could easily be a division series preview. The most ominous sign to come out of that series was Cleveland pounding Chris Sale to the tune of seven runs in three innings.

They kept that rolling with three shutouts of the Kansas City Royals over the weekend. Sunday provided the most impressive offensive display, as Cleveland put up 12 runs. However, it was the first two games of the series that showed the most glaring differences between the teams.

In each of those two games, Cleveland only out-hit Kansas City by two hits. Whereas Cleveland’s hitters found ways to take advantage of their opportunities, Kansas City’s hitters could not. When Cleveland pitchers needed to make a pitch to escape a jam, they were able to do so. The Kansas City Royals pitchers could not.

It’s why one of these teams will win the division, and the other will not.

AL East leader

Boston Red Sox

Overall record (through Sunday): 73-57

Last week: 2-5

This week: At Toronto Blue Jays (Mon.-Wed.); at New York Yankees (Thu.-Sun.)

Something happened to the Red Sox after watching their ace get knocked around on Thursday. Boston opened the week with two wins in three games against Cleveland. But after Sale got lit up in the series-finale, the week just went off the rails.

Things really got out of control with a home sweep at the hands of Baltimore. Boston lost the opening game of that series by a 16-3 final score and never recovered.

Before the current four-game losing streak, the Red Sox were arguably the hottest team in the American League. The team had won 15 of its first 19 to begin August with only two losses apiece coming against Cleveland and New York.

The Baltimore series kicked off a 22-game stretch in which 19 of the games will come against divisional opponents. Save for a three-game set against Oakland at Fenway Park, Boston will not play a team outside the East Division until a trip to Cincinnati on August 22.

This week those divisional games include three against the fading Blue Jays and the third weekend series in a four-week span versus the Yankees. Boston won both of those recent series against its nemesis, but—with New York climbing back into the division race—the four games this week are absolutely crucial for retaining this spot next week.

AL West leader

Houston Astros

Overall record (through Sunday): 79-51

Last week: 3-3

This week: Off Monday; vs. Texas Rangers (Tue.-Thu.); vs. New York Mets (Fri.-Sun.)

There are plenty of things that happen in life to put sports into perspective. One of those things is happening in Houston and its surrounding areas at this time in the form of Hurricane Harvey and its devastating results.

Difficult times also allow for sports to be a distraction and a unifier. The Astros could be that for Houston and its residents.

It could not have been easy for the team to play the past few days, as Harvey flooded the city these players live and work in. To finish .500 for the week, including winning two out of three against the Angels, was quite the accomplishment. For a team that has been struggling to regain its magic from the first half of the season, a little perspective can go a long way.

The biggest baseball-related question facing the team is now where and when will the team’s next six games take place. A day off Monday will allow Major League Baseball time to formulate a plan. Starting Tuesday, the Astros are scheduled to host the Rangers and Mets for three games apiece over the next six days.

(Editor’s note: MLB announced Monday afternoon the Astros-Rangers series will take place at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay. No official announcement has been made about the Astros-Mets series.)

Next: How Has Postseason Picture Changed Since Last Week?

For now, baseball is the furthest thing from the minds of most people in and around Houston, and there’s nothing wrong with that.