While losing to the Braves at Truist Park on Friday night, the Kansas City Royals still clinched their spot in the postseason later that evening with a loss by the Minnesota Twins. They celebrated their first playoff berth since 2015 in the visiting clubhouse with bubbly and ski masks.
But that doesn’t mean that they’re going to give the Braves much of a break for Saturday night’s game in their choice of starting pitcher. The Royals will stick with their plan to start All-Star Seth Lugo, a team spokesman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday.
The Braves will take on Lugo in their pursuit of a wild-card berth and their seventh consecutive postseason appearance. After Saturday’s games, the Braves were tied with the New York Mets at 87-71 for the second and third wild-card berths, in a virtual dead heat with the Arizona Diamondbacks at 88-72.
The Braves will start their own All-Star, Reynaldo López, in his return from the injured list.
It is possible that the Royals could hold Lugo to a lower pitch limit that would enable him to be ready for a start in the wild-card round, which starts Tuesday.
Regardless, on paper, facing Lugo over other alternatives is a tougher assignment for the Braves. The former New York Met has a 16-9 record this season with a 3.03 ERA and 1.090 WHIP. In his career, he is 5-5 against the Braves with a 3.79 ERA and a 1.281 WHIP.
While the Royals did not have a change to announce with their starting pitcher for Sunday – All-Star Cole Ragans – it would not be a surprise if that assignment were to change.
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