Sports
Despite Detroit Tigers Tremendous Turnaround, Don't Forget About Kansas City Royals
The Detroit Tigers rightfully enter October as the most intriguing team in this year’s postseason field.
Detroit went from having less than a one percent chance at the playoffs to clinching a wild-card spot in fewer than two months. The club also ended a nine-year postseason drought, which was tied with the Los Angeles Angels for the longest active stretch in the majors.
Set to visit either the Baltimore Orioles or the Houston Astros in the best-of-three wild-card, the Tigers will be an easy team to root for as they prowl toward their first American League pennant in 12 years and their first world championship in 40.
But Detroit’s incredible surge cast an even darker shadow on the most underappreciated team in this year’s playoffs, the Kansas City Royals.
Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. has fittingly garnered tremendous attention amid his MVP-caliber campaign, but he and his teammates have quietly authored one of the best turnarounds in baseball history.
One year after going a franchise-worst-tying 56-106, Kansas City has stacked 85 wins entering Sunday’s regular-season finale. The Royals will visit either Houston or Baltimore in the wild-card round.
Kansas City’s 29-win increase (or 30, pending Sunday’s result) from last year to this season is the largest in the majors. It’s also the largest in franchise history in a full season, surpassing a 20-win jump from 1970 to 1971.
Still not impressed?
MLB research lists the Royals as just the second team to reach the playoffs in a full season following a campaign with at least 100 losses.
Of course, Witt has catalyzed his team’s turnaround, but plenty of other contributors have produced solid seasons that are too impressive to ignore.
Salvador Perez, the lone holdover from Kansas City’s World Series team in 2015, has clubbed 27 home runs with 104 RBIs while putting his pristine mitt to use at catcher and first base.
Vinnie Pasquantino racked up 97 RBIs in 131 games before a broken thumb he suffered on Aug. 29 sidelined him for the rest of the regular season. The slugging first baseman could return if the Royals make a deep playoff run.
Meanwhile, a pair of veteran starting pitchers have looked ageless with Kansas City after signing with the club last December.
Longtime reliever Seth Lugo, 34, has posted the majors’ 10th-lowest starter ERA (3.00) while throwing a career-high 206 2/3 innings in just his third season as a starter. Fellow right-hander Michael Wacha, 33, has logged 166 2/3 frames—the second most over his 12-year career—while pitching to a 3.35 ERA.
As for the younger arms, left-hander Cole Ragans has solidified himself as a budding star during his age-26 season, pairing his 3.14 ERA with 186 1/3 innings pitched.
And manager Matt Quatraro deserves a shoutout, too.
The 50-year-old has guided the Royals’ rise in just his second season as a skipper, keeping the club steady with his “Today” mantra that preaches focusing on the now instead of pondering the past or fretting over the future.
It’s OK if you haven’t been locked in on Kansas City’s turnaround this year. The Royals’ impressive campaign has been mostly concealed by the slew of other storylines within the AL Central, especially in recent weeks.
Detroit’s scintillating run has coincided with Minnesota’s stunning collapse. The Twins went from having a 95.8 percent shot at the postseason on Sept. 2 to dropping completely out of the race on Friday.
Minnesota’s 12-26 record since Aug. 17 is still 1 1/2 games better than the Chicago White Sox, who have perhaps generated the most attention among any team in baseball amid their record-setting 121-loss campaign.
And then there’s the Cleveland Guardians, who rebounded from last year’s third-place finish to capture the AL Central title and the No. 2 playoff seed under first-year manager Stephen Vogt.
Yeah, that’s a lot for one division. I don’t blame you for ignoring Kansas City’s sudden success.
Look, I can’t judge your fandom this October, and I won’t push you to root for a certain team if you’re still deciding. But at the very least, I ask that you appreciate how special the Royals’ season has been while it’s still around.
Sports
Another Tiger possibly on trade block, Casey Mize, faces Royals
Jul 19, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Casey Mize (12) pitches during the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images The possibility of Tarik Skubal getting traded has loomed over the Tigers all season. But another key Detroit starter and impending free agent, Casey Mize, also could swap out uniforms if the Tigers choose to sell before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Mize could be making his last appearance with the club when the Tigers host the Kansas City Royals on Saturday afternoon.
The 29-year-old right-hander has battled groin tightness at various times this season, but when he’s been on the mound, he has delivered quality innings. Mize (4-6, 2.79 ERA) has allowed two or fewer runs in 11 of his 15 starts.
Mize had his latest start, his first after the All-Star break, cut short when a comebacker from Los Angeles Angels’ Jo Adell struck his left wrist. He exited after 3 1/3 innings but didn’t have any lingering effects from the injury.
“I’m good,” Mize said, according to the Detroit News. “I (am) looking forward to Saturday. We’ve been checking all the boxes that we need to and I’m feeling good.”
Mize, who gave up one run and five hits and a walk with five strikeouts in Anaheim, Calif., is not dwelling on the trade speculation.
“Where we are as a team makes that more simple (to deal with),” Mize said. “There are so many unknowns. We’re in a 10-game sprint right now, and it takes tons of focus on what we’re doing here and now, day to day. That’s kind of how I’ve always played, so that makes it pretty easy to focus on that instead of the other stuff. I’m just leaning on that and really caring about what we’re doing right now.”
Mize hasn’t faced the Royals this season, but he has made more career starts against them than any other club. He is 3-2 with a 4.97 ERA in 13 starts vs. Kansas City. Royals catcher Salvador Perez has a .424 average with five extra-base hits against him in 33 at-bats.
Michael Wacha (5-7, 3.66) will start for the Royals. Wacha was sharp in his first start after his All-Star appearance, holding San Francisco to one run and three hits in six innings on Monday.
The 35-year-old right-hander had one of his best outings of the season against the Tigers on May 9, tossing seven scoreless innings. He only allowed two hits and two walks while striking out six.
In 11 career starts against Detroit, he is 3-3 with a 2.95 ERA.
Like Mize, Wacha is a potential trade candidate, as is another veteran Royals starter, Seth Lugo. Wacha is signed through next season with a club option for 2028.
“We’ll be open-minded to anything,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “But we have to be very, very pointed on what we want to get out of any one of those two. And it’s also, they made a commitment to us, and that’s big. And I think that’s important to the morale of the team.”
The Tigers have won three straight, including the first two games of the current four-game series. Skubal struck out 12 in 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball during the Tigers’ 2-1 victory on Friday.
Kansas City had won three straight prior to visiting Detroit, while the Tigers have won three in a row.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Nationals All-Star Foster Griffin aims to level series vs. D-backs
Jul 19, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Foster Griffin (22) throws to an Athletics batter during the first inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images Washington left-hander Foster Griffin looks to continue his stellar rookie season and help the Nationals gain in the National League wild-card race when the club hosts the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.
Arizona took the series opener 3-2 on Friday and has won four straight and six of seven.
Griffin (11-2, 2.69 ERA) has made eight consecutive starts without allowing more than one run, a franchise record. The 30-year-old All-Star has won three straight starts and has not taken a loss since May 14.
Washington is 16-4 in his starts this year, 10-1 in his past 11 outings. Included in that run was his lone career outing vs. the Diamondbacks. Griffin threw five innings of one-run ball for a 14-1 victory in Phoenix on June 5.
Last time out, Griffin allowed a run on eight hits over seven innings during a 5-2 win against the Athletics on Sunday.
Griffin, who spent the previous three seasons in Japan, is a free agent after this season and could be making his final start for the Nationals if they opt to trade him before the Aug. 3 deadline.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time here, enjoyed the clubhouse, the staff and front office,” he said, according to the Baltimore Banner. “The pitching staff, specifically, I feel like we’ve gotten along great, so we’ll see what happens.”
Arizona rookie left-hander Mitch Bratt (0-0, 5.06) opposes Griffin in his fourth major league start. Last time out, he gave up two runs on eight hits over 4 2/3 innings during a no-decision against the Athletics on Monday.
Eduardo Rodriguez pitched six strong innings on Friday and the Diamondbacks scored the go-ahead run on Gabriel Moreno’s seventh-inning sacrifice fly.
Arizona recorded its first run on a safety squeeze and its second when Ketel Marte got down the line in time to beat the potential double-play relay. Paul Sewald pitched the ninth for his 24th save.
“I thought we did a lot of little things right,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “It all added up and it was a great win. The bullpen went lights out, they executed. Paul got that big save.”
Moreno had two hits and reached base in his 40th straight start, moving into sole possession of the second-longest such streak in team history behind Corbin Carroll’s 44-game run in 2024.
Moreno has reached base two or more times in 12 of his past 15 games.
“It seems like he’s on base with every at-bat,” Lovullo said. “He spoils us with a really good approach. There’s just an ease to his game and he’s kind of in the middle of everything.”
The Nationals, who were opening a six-game homestand and had won three of four, got a two-run homer and a single from Dylan Crews. He is 6-for-21 (.286) in his past six games with two home runs, five RBIs and five runs.
CJ Abrams had two hits and is 11-for-21 (.524) in his past five games with two doubles, four home runs, eight RBIs and six runs.
Washington trails Arizona by three games for the third NL wild-card spot.
“We’re treating this like a playoff series,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said. “… Do whatever we have to do to come out of these with a win because we know how important it is against these guys.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rookie RHP Ryan Johnson, Angels attempt to level series vs. Giants
Jul 19, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ryan Johnson (32) pitches during the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Two teams that have struggled in close games would like nothing better than to be on the winning end of a one-sided affair Saturday afternoon when the Los Angeles Angels and the host San Francisco Giants continue their three-game interleague series.
Nine innings weren’t enough to determine a winner in the opener on Friday. The Giants emerged with a 7-6 win when Rafael Devers delivered a bases-loaded, walk-off single with one out in the bottom of the 10th.
The teams left the field with the scoreboard showing 8-6, the result of Devers’ long fly to left field having bounced over the fence. It initially was ruled a ground-rule double, with two runs scoring, even though only one was needed to end the game.
The Elias Sports Bureau, the official statisticians for Major League Baseball, reviewed the play shortly thereafter and the hit was changed to a single, producing one run. That made the official final score 7-6 and dropped Devers’ RBI total for the game from four to three.
The confusion was appropriate for teams that have struggled to record one-run wins this season. The Angels lead the majors with 19 one-run defeats, while the Giants have 16, tied with the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres for second most in the National League.
Having watched his team fail far more than succeed in tight games, Giants manager Tony Vitello had an unusual reaction to watching his club blow a late 6-4 lead before recovering.
“It made for a better win to be honest with you — more exciting, more memorable for the guys,” he said. “A moment, hopefully, they can build confidence on, that we can come back if things don’t go perfect.”
Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (8-6, 3.33 ERA), who started a one-run loss against the Colorado Rockies in his most recent home outing, will take the mound on Saturday.
Ray is 3-1 with a 2.53 ERA in five career starts against the Angels, with the .750 winning percentage equaling his second best against any opponent. With a win on Saturday, Ray would match his mark against the Chicago Cubs, 4-1.
Ray got a no-decision on Sunday after yielding three runs (one earned) on seven hits in four-plus innings against the Seattle Mariners.
The Angels will send out rookie right-hander Ryan Johnson (2-4, 6.10 ERA) to oppose Ray, 34.
Johnson, 23, faced four batters in relief and retired them all in his only previous meeting with the Giants, on April 19, 2025. In his latest outing, Johnson threw five innings of one-run ball in a 3-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.
While many Angels might be wondering where they will be after the upcoming trade deadline, Johnson, one of the franchise’s top prospects, has only pondered how he can be most effective the rest of this season and moving forward.
“I don’t know if there’s any specific goals other than just keep competing and getting a feel for being in the rotation week to week,” Johnson said following his Sunday outing. “I feel like I’ve been able to get into a good routine and figure out what I want to do in between starts that makes me feel good.”
–Field Level Media
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