Royals Visit Mets to Start Final Road Trip before All-Star Break: Stats and Trends to Keep an Eye On.

The Royals are coming off their first series win in a couple of weeks over the Phillies and look to head into the All-Star Break after a six-game road trip beginning with the Mets and ending with the Orioles.

Jul 1, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo (67) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Royals won their first series since mid-July by taking two from the Phillies, and will begin the final road trip before the All-Star break. They head to New York City, to the borough of Queens, to face their 2015 World Series rivals for a three-game set before heading to Baltimore for the final three game set before the break. Here are the probable starters along with the trends and stats to keep an eye on against the Mets.

Probable Starters

Game One: Seth Lugo (3-6, 4.20 ERA) vs. To be determined

Game Two: To be determined vs. Christian Scott (2-1, 3.49 ERA)

Game Three: Michael Wacha (5-6, 3.45 ERA) vs. Sean Manaea (1-4, 5.16 ERA)

Can the Royals' offense carry any of the Historic Phillies Finale into the Mets Series

In the series finale against the Phillies, the Royals had 22 hits and 15 runs while also scoring in every inning. That is a rare feat that does not happen often and has only happened twice in Royals history; the last time was in 1998 against the Athletics. It is such a rare feat that the last team to have such a game was the 2016 White Sox, and they did it against an NL Cy Young favorite. The issue is whether they carry that into the final stretch before the All-Star break.

Obviously, a game like that is an outlier; everyone in the starting lineup, except Josh Rojas, had a hit. "Salvy" and Tyler Tolbert combined for an 8-for-9 day, Luke Maile blasted a three-run home run off Christopher Sanchez, and they did this without Bobby Witt Jr driving in a run.

To start July, the Royals have gotten great starts from Salvy, Lane Thomas, Isaac Collins, and Tolbert, while the usual suspects (BWJ, Cags, and Carter Jensen) have struggled to start July. That makes the series finale against the Phillies that much more unlikely, but if the offense can keep that spark going then it could be a fun final stretch before the All-Star Break.

Seth Lugo Returns to Where He Once Called Home

It has been a bumpy season for Lugo so far, and now he is slated to start against the franchise that gave him his start. Lugo spent his first seven seasons as a Met, putting together some solid seasons in their bullpen before he left in 2023 to rebrand as a starter with the Padres. Despite being away from the Mets for four seasons, this will be his first appearance against them in his career.

In fact, only four current Mets players have plate appearances against him: Juan Soto, Bo Bichette, Luis Torrens, and Tyrone Taylor. That group has 32 plate appearances against Lugo, with Soto taking up 21 of the 32. Soto is 4-for-16 against him with five walks and a home run.

One of the Pinnacle Royals Killers Can Turn Season Around Doing what he Does Best

Jul 4, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) hits a single against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Colin Hubbard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

From his time as a Guardian to his time as a Met, Francisco Lindor eats up Royals pitching and is one of the defining Royals' killers. In his 101 games against the Royals, he has slashed .318/.376/.606 for an OPS of .982. He has tallied 29 home runs, 25 doubles, and 81 RBIs in that span against the Royals.

The issue for Lindor and potentially a benefit for Royals pitching is that he is struggling in 2026. He is slashing .216/.300/.366 for an OPS of .666 on the year and has a wRC+ of 88. With how the probable starters are panning out, Lindor has only seen success against Michael Wacha, going 2-for-5 against him. Since Stephen Kolek has returned to the family medical emergency list, the Royals might start Randy Dobnak, who Lindor has had success against, going 4-for-9 against him.

Jac Caglianone Has Struggled in the Past Couple of Weeks

After a spectacular June, Jac Caglianone has fallen back to Earth and is slumping hard in the last couple of weeks. He hasn't had an extra-base hit since his triple against the White Sox on June 26 and is 5 for his last 22 to start July. Another key issue that has plagued him in this stretch is the lack of plate discipline as he has not drawn a walk since June 26 and has struck out 16 times in 12 games.

It probably doesn't help that he is being shuffled positionally from RF to 1B, but it is concerning that he has slumped this hard after a good June. If the Royals' offense wants to keep the momentum it generated, Caglianone needs to be productive in some facet.

In a series where both teams have fallen well short of expectations, it will come down to whether the Royals' offense can sustain any offensive momentum, the Mets' pitching can turn in some good starts, and lastly, whoever can make fewer mistakes in a mistake-filled season for both squads.