Salvador Perez's Hot Week Carried the Royals
It's late August, which means it's just about time for the Royals to turn it on for a September surge that moves them into the 70-75 win range.
They got started last week with a winning week sparked by a mammoth performance from catcher Salvador Perez. In 28 at-bats last week, Perez managed 10 hits, six home runs, and perhaps most shockingly, five walks. That, coupled with more consistent starting pitching from the Royals, allowed the boys in blue to take three of four from the Mariners after managing just one win in a three-game series against the Astros.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing from the Royals this week is the continued success of pitchers Carlos Hernandez and Daniel Lynch. In two starts last week, Lynch managed to go 9.2 innings with two earned runs and nine strikeouts. A few too many walks kept him from going deeper into each game, but he managed to work around trouble in both starts.
Despite a string of successful starts recently, Hernandez played the role of long-relief savior, throwing 5.2 innings in relief of Kris Bubic during a 12-inning win in Seattle. The Mariners managed only one run on one hit with zero walks and six strikeouts. Hernandez is making a strong argument that he may ultimately outshine some of the vaunted 2018 pitching class.
In roster news, the Royals saw a rash of pitching injuries this week with Brad Keller, Kyle Zimmer, Jake Brentz, and Richard Lovelady all hitting the 10-day injured list. Lovelady's injury is currently being called a UCL strain, but that is often a precursor to Tommy John surgery. If that ends up being the case, it will be a significant blow to a player who was finally having success at the major league level. In 20.2 innings this year, he compiled a 3.48 ERA, 23 strikeouts, and 0.5 WAR.
This week, the Royals take on division foes with the Indians and White Sox coming to town. The AL Central is pretty uneventful these days, with the Sox out to a large 10-game lead, but it's always fun to beat a division rival. And the Royals have been playing better lately, something on which they would surely like to build.
On the Farm
While Bobby Witt Jr., Nick Pratto, and M.J. Melendez receive the lion's share of attention among Royals prospects, another farmhand has put together a quietly excellent season, including a scorching hot week.
Tucker Bradley, an outfielder with the Royals' High-A affiliate in the Quad City River Bandits, reached base in 14 of his 18 plate appearances heading into Sunday. On the season, he's hitting a very respectable .305/.396/.472. The emergence of another outfield prospect would be significant for a farm system that is thin in the outfield.
