Final Score: KC 6 | TOR 1
Overall Record: 19-13
Winning/Losing Pitcher
W: Seth Lugo (5-1 | 1.60 ERA)
L: Chris Bassitt (2-5 | 5.45 ERA)
Royals Player(s) of the Game
Seth Lugo: 7 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 8 K, 2 BB
It seems like every one of my weekly game recaps features a starting pitcher as a Player of the Game. Lugo continues to pitch out of this world to start the season. In seven starts, he has allowed just eight runs (four of which came in one game) and has gone at least 5.1 innings in all seven. His strikeout numbers were low through his first five outings, but he has more than doubled his season total in his last two starts (17 strikeouts in his last two starts, 31 strikeouts total). Lugo is leading a starting rotation (Jonathan Bowlan not included) that has been dominant through the first 20 percent of the season and continues to put together a very solid career on the mound.
Michael Massey: 1-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R
Massey drove in the last of three runs in the sixth inning (the first inning the Royals even recorded a hit), but that wasn’t his highlight of the day. In the eighth inning, with a chance to add even more insurance runs, he did just that. Massey snuck a ball just past the right field foul pole for a three run homerun, extending the Royals lead to 6-1. He has had an up and down time at the plate since returning from injury to start the season, so hopefully a game like this is one that can get him going in the right direction
Other Highlights
Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino both collected a pair of hits and runs scored, and were both played major roles in breaking open the scoring in the sixth inning. Witt continues to stay hot at the plate, raising his average to .320, while Pasquantino appears to be breaking out of a slump that dates back to the team’s first series against Toronto.
Summary of the Next Game
The Royals have Thursday off as they travel back to Kansas City, where the defending World Series Champion Rangers will be waiting for them. Brady Singer takes his 2.62 ERA up against Michael Lorenzen (4.24 ERA). The team is home for six games after being on the road for the same amount.
(Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)