Kansas City Royals Kick off Nine-game Homestand Welcoming Marlins: Stats and Trends to Keep an Eye on

The Royals will kick off the final stretch of the season with a three-game set against the Marlins and look to continue playing well.

Aug 27, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Kansas City Royals pitcher Noah Cameron (65) throws to first base to force out Toronto Blue Jays second base Charles McAdoo (26) during the third inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Royals are playing their best baseball as they enter the final month of the year. They have won five straight series and have gone 13-3 in those series. It is also an important day as it is time for September call-ups. The Royals begin a nine-game homestand with a three-game set against the Marlins, so here are the probable starters as well as stats and trends to keep an eye on.

Probable Starters

Game One: Randy Dobnak (2-2, 1.92 ERA) vs. Tyler Phillips (3-6, 3.59 ERA)

Game Two: Noah Cameron (9-8, 3.98 ERA) vs. Eury Perez (7-10, 3.44 ERA)

Game Three: Michael Wacha (8-8, 3.32 ERA) vs. Sandy Alcantara (13-8, 3.46 ERA)

Can Michael Wacha and Noah Cameron Finish Strong after Elite August Showing

Throughout August, the Royals were powered by a mix of good offense and good pitching. Leading the pitching front was the duo of Michael Wacha and Noah Cameron. Both were staples in August, and in ten combined starts, the Royals went 7-3 in those starts (both earned all seven wins and the rest were no decisions).

Cameron put together arguably the best month of his career after posting an ERA of 1.87 in August with one bad outing against the Dodgers. He has a chance to secure AL Pitcher of the Month with being top three in ERA, wins (4), and average (.155), while leading in WHIP (0.80) and OPS (.455). This stretch of play began on July 24 for Cameron, and since that date, he leads qualified pitchers with a 1.29 ERA, HR/9 of 0.18, and 48.2 innings pitched. He looks to carry his second half form into the final month of play.

Right behind Cameron is Wacha, as he was also dominant in August. He wasn't as dominant, but Wacha posted a 2.51 ERA in 32.1 innings of work in August. In his last two starts in August, Wacha finished strong with 15 innings of one-run ball, including eight shutout innings against the Guardians. The big thing that held him back in August was the long ball, however, as he gave up six in the month.

Both pitchers will look to start September right and continue their recent stretches of play.

Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez also Coming off Strong August

Aug 22, 2026; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara (22) tips his cap to the crowd as he's honored for his season during the second inning against the Washington Nationals at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Games two and three of this series will feature four of the best pitchers in August, as Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez are also coming off strong months of play. In terms of fWAR, Alcantara put together the fourth-best August among qualified pitchers with a 1.5. He sported a 1.76 ERA in August and became the Marlins' all-time leader in innings pitched at the beginning of August. It has been a strong rebound of form for the 2022 Cy Young winner.

Eury Perez sits right behind Alcantara, similar to Wacha and Cameron, with a 3.23 ERA since July 24. Both have put up similar numbers; the only difference is that Perez has struggled with walks during this stretch and hasn't put up six quality starts like Alcantara did during this stretch. Both pitchers don't allow the long ball and they limit runs whenever runners get on base.

Games two and three of this series will be the pinnacle of pitching for these teams and fans could see two low scoring affairs.

Jac Caglianone Looks to Continue Pulverizing Opposing Pitchers

Aug 30, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone (14) celebrates with first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (9) after scoring during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Cags" is coming off another stellar month at the plate and could potentially take home a Player of the Month honor for his service. He slashed .411/.429/.684 for an OPS of 1.113 and a wRC+ of 208 in August. During the month, he only had three games where he didn't record a hit while tallying 26 RBIs and six home runs. The weirdest part of his month was the fact that he only walked four times (twice intentionally), but he wasn't striking out a ton either (18.4% K-rate). Cags will look to continue his form at the plate against some tough pitching to finish the year strong.

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