3 hot takeaways from big KC Royals sweep

For two nights and a day this weekend, Kauffman Stadium played host to a celebration of the 2014 KC Royals and their monster bullpen trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis, and Greg Holland. The present Royals, an exciting collection of homegrown young talent and veterans transplanted over the busy baseball winter, made sure Oakland didn't spoil the festivities.

Kansas City convincingly won all three games, beating the A's 6-2 Friday night, 5-3 Saturday evening, and 8-4 Sunday afternoon. The wins preserved the weekend's festive aura, boosted the Royals 10 games over .500 for the first time since 2015, and kept them in second place in the American League Central, just 1.5 games behind the Guardians, who maintained that thin divisional margin by putting together a home sweep of their own against Minnesota.

The Royals have now won eight of their last 11 and will host Detroit for three games starting Monday night while Cleveland welcomes the Mets for three early-week contests.

First things first, though. What can KC fans take away from their team's third series sweep of the season?

The Royals didn't let Brent Rooker beat them

Keeping former Royal Rooker in check was a weekend must. The 2023 AL All-Star came to town hitting .281 with 10 homers and 34 RBI, and punished the Royals last season in his first full campaign after they lost him to the A's on waivers during the offseason.

Rooker enjoyed some success this weekend — he went 4-for-14 and drove in four runs — but nothing he did turned anything around for Oakland. His seventh-inning Saturday RBI brought the A's within one run of the Royals, but KC went on to win with Rooker striking out to end the game. And his two-out, three-run, ninth-inning homer off Matt Sauer Sunday was simply too little, too late.

Not letting Rooker beat them was yet another example of how the Royals are making a habit of doing what winners do.

Moving on...