Royals Begin Final Homestand Looking to Spoil White Sox Playoff Chances: Stats and Trends to Keep an Eye on
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It is officially the final set of series for the Royals in 2026 as they begin a six-game homestand against the White Sox and Guardians. The Royals have the ultimate chance to play spoiler for both series as both teams coming to town have not finalized their playoff spots yet. With the White Sox vying for the division title, here are the probable starters and also some stats and trends to keep an eye on in this series.
Probable Starters
Game One: Daniel Lynch IV (6-5, 3.29 ERA) vs. Anthony Kay (9-9, 4.41 ERA)
Game Two: Seth Lugo (7-9, 5.06 ERA) vs. Erick Fedde (8-9, 3.90 ERA)
Game Three: Randy Dobnak (3-4, 3.08 ERA) vs. David Sandlin (2-2, 6.29 ERA)
Vinnie Pasquantino Finishing Season Strong
Despite the Royals not putting together a good September, Vinnie Pasquantino has been putting together a solid finish to the year. In the month, Vinnie is slashing .233/.299/.533 for an OPS of .832 and a wRC+ of 124. While he might not be hitting for average or walking a ton, the power has come out plenty for Vinnie with an ISO of .300.
Shrinking the sample size, since Sept. 11, Vinnie is slashing .308/.333/.692 for an OPS of .1.026. During these past couple of weeks, Vinnie has launched three home runs, with five total in Sept., including a pinch-hit two-run home run against the Pirates. It is an encouraging sign for Vinnie to finish the year strong after a slow start and injuries plagued his season.
Bobby Witt Jr on the other hand, is not hitting to his standards
In a season that has been very unlucky for BWJ, he hasn't been at his best at the plate in September. He is slashing .239/.350/.358 for an OPS of .708 and a wRC+ of 89. During this month, BWJ only has four extra-base hits: two HRs and two 2Bs. The walks continue to be there for him, however, as he has walked in 13.8% of his September plate appearances.
It has been a mind-boggling season for BWJ, as he has continued to play great and swing a good bat, but the results haven't been there all year. During this final homestand, he will be looking to reach the 20 HR mark to make it five seasons in a row with such a tally.
Final Starts of the Season for Randy Dobnak and Seth Lugo
It will be the final starts for both Seth Lugo and Randy Dobnak in 2026 against the White Sox. Dobnak has been one of the Royals' best arms in the rotation in the second half and has amounted to 73 innings of work with an ERA of 3.08. While September hasn't treated him well, he has an ERA of 5.91 in four starts, Dobnak has pitched well in KC as he looks to finish the year on a strong final note.
It has been a tumultuous year for Seth Lugo on the mound. It has been his worst season as a full-time starting pitcher, as he sports an ERA of 5.06 while regressing in a fair number of metrics. September hasn't treated him well either, as he has yet to throw more than five innings in his three starts and has an ERA of 5.40. It has been a rough year for Lugo, but he has a chance to finish the year on a good note with a solid final start.
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Trey is no stranger to writing about the Royals as he has done it for 6 years now for various blogs (Kings of Kauffman, Inside The Royals, and Farm to Fountains). He is a graduate of Baker University with a degree in Mass Media with an emphasis in sports media. He enjoys watching and researching sports as well as gaming.
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