Having a blast

Who are these Royals? Another night, another run-scoring bonanza. This time, the pitching held together long enough for the Royals to post a 9-6 victory over Atlanta. It was the sixth time in their last 11 games they’ve scored at least seven runs.

Raise your hand if you thought this team was capable of this kind of offense.

Since the All-Star Break, the Royals have scored 64 runs. That’s the fifth most in the majors over that span. It works out to an average of 5.8 runs per game. They’ve hit 19 home runs. Again, that’s the fifth most in baseball since the break. They’re doing this while maintaining their already exceptional strikeout rate. Over the last 11 games, they’re whiffing just 16 percent of the time, which is the secnd-lowest in the the majors.

You know who’s the primary guy, or guys, behind this outburst. Salvador Perez is having some kind of fun at the plate this month. Vinnie Pasquantino is putting on a show of late. Maikel Garcia, after a dip in form, is back to being locked-in.

Here are some counting numbers, along with walk and strikeout rates for the boys since the break.

And some other rate stats, ranked by wRC+. Please ignore the leading zeros. It’s a feature of my spreadsheet software I’m told. Not a bug.

Perez is crushing it. He was back in the lineup on Tuesday after leaving Monday’s game early when he was hit on the elbow guard by a pitch from Spencer Strider. Of course he was. Hopefully, that doesn’t slow him down. The went 1-4 in Tuesday’s win with a single.

This is what a lineup can do when a couple of their key bats catch fire at the same time and the rest of the guys at least pull their own weight. Look at the numbers for Bobby Witt Jr.. Steady. But it’s what the Royals need. He’s scored nine times in my sample above, tied for the most on the team. That’s because when he’s getting on base, Perez, Garcia and company are driving him in.

Perhaps all the Royals needed to inject a little life into this offense was Adam Frazier and Randal Grichuk.

One of the hot hitters I did not mention above was Vinnie Pasquantino. That’s because I was saving him specifically for this section! Tuesday was the third time in Pasquantino’s career that he was officially on Cycle Watch. And in each instance, he was just a triple short of hitting for the cycle. A stinking triple!

Alas, he did not collect that triple, instead grounding into a double play. From Baseball Reference, these are the times when Pasquantino has had at least a single, a double and a home run in the same game.

Tuesday’s game is not listed because Baseball Reference has been slow to update their stats of late. And I need to get this newsletter to your inbox.

You’ll note that I wrote it was the third time he was on Cycle Watch. Yet there are four games in the table above. Good catch, dear reader! This is because in two of those games, Pasquantino collected his third hit in his final at bat. The Cycle Watch games were his three most recent. In addition to Tuesday, he was on notice against the Orioles earlier this season and then against the Padres in June of last year.

Pasquantino has hit three triples in his major league career—two last season and one this year. Each time he has tripled, it was his only hit of the game.

It felt as if Seth Lugo was fortunate to get through 5.2 allowing only three runs. Atlanta was on him pretty much all evening. Of the 18 balls put in play against Lugo, 10 of them had an exit velocity of 99.9 mph or higher. Toss in four walks, and that’s some dangerous living.

But Lugo is a veteran, and veterans can figure out a way to get outs in tight situations, even if they’re loud. He was able to work around two runners in the first when he bailed himself out with a double play grounder from Austin Riley (107.6 mph off the bat). He allowed a leadoff triple to Michael Harris II (102.2 mph) in the second and then got an infield ground out and a pair of strikeouts to escape that problem.

Lugo steadied himself in the middle innings of his appearance and even saw exit velocities dip in the fourth and fifth innings.

He got the first two outs of the sixth and then everything went to hell. In a flash.

In the span of five pitches, Lugo allowed a home run, a single, another home run and a double. The contact was immediate and it was loud. These are the locations and pitch types Atlanta put into play in the sixth.

The first home run—off the bat of Riley—came on the slurve on a 1-0 count. It was a prime hanger.

Harris hit the changeup out of the zone for a single on a 1-0 count.

Then Marcell Ozuna hit the lower of the two hanging curves above out of the yard. Drake Baldwin followed with a double off a similarly located curve.

Lugo leaned on that curve more than any other pitch on Tuesday. His normal primary pitch is his four-seamer, thrown about 21 percent of the time, but he only broke that out for 10 out of his 92 pitches. He wasn’t missing bats and Atlanta wasn’t chasing. That’s how you run into barrels.

With this being his first start since signing his contract extension, the scrutiny was probably a little elevated. While it certainly would’ve been preferred for Lugo to get through that sixth inning, it was a good outing in that he was able to navigate as far as he did around all that early loud contact. He was staked to an early 4-0 lead and kept his team in the game. Credit to the offense for backing him up, especially after that sixth inning.

Prior to Tuesday’s game, the Royals designated Rich Hill (real name Dick Mountain) for assignment. The corresponding move was the selection of Thomas Hatch from Omaha.

It was a numbers game that ended Hill’s tenure with the Royals. He started on Monday, throwing 81 pitches. With the Royals bullpen heavily taxed at this point, and with the need for a starter in place of the recently injured Kris Bubic, they need innings, like right now.

After Tuesday’s game, the Royals announced that Angel Zerpa would start on Wednesday’s series finale. Hatch is expected to be the bulk guy behind Zerpa.

When I hit the “publish” button on this edition of the newsletter, we are around 36 hours to the trade deadline. The feeling, as of now, is of inertia. It’s not just the Royals. There’s a massive lack of action across the league. The big trade of note yesterday was Seranthony Domínguez walking across the hall to a new clubhouse as the home Baltimore Orioles dealt him to the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. Between games of a doubleheader! Sadly, he did not pitch the first game for the Orioles. He did appear in the nightcap for the Jays, pitching a scoreless frame while striking out two.

While the action has been lacking, the rumors have been flying. Although for the Royals, there has scarcely been a rumor of note since they extended Seth Lugo on Monday. I don’t think I would be surprised if the Royals are pretty much finished with the trade market.

The postseason is still a long shot for this team. The moves JJ Picollo have made shore up the offense for the time being by making incremental improvement. The injury to Kris Bubic is a big blow and he’s a guy who cannot be replaced at the deadline, unless the team is willing to spend heavily in prospect capital. The Royals have some of that in Blake Mitchell and Carter Jensen, but there doesn’t seem to be an appetite to spin either of them in a deal.

I can see another minor deal percolating. Picollo is not the type to sit on the sidelines. I just cannot see them making what we could classify as an impact trade.

Although I wouldn’t be surprised if I was wrong. That’s just the way this newsletter rolls.

Central Issues

Rockies 4, Guardians 10

With Emmanuel Clase suspended, the new plan in Cleveland is to simply avoid save situations. Easy to do against the Rockies. Gabriel Arias singled in two in the first. Kyle Manzardo clubbed a two-run home run and Brayan Rocchio hit a two-run triple in the third. From there, it was cruise control city. Logan Allan went seven in his start for the Guardians, allowing eight hits and two runs.

Diamondbacks 2, Tigers 12

The Diamondbacks are mailing it in at this point, losers of seven of their last eight. One night after getting hit in the hand, Eugenio Suárez was out of the lineup. Arizona actually held a 2-0 lead in this one. But Dillon Dingler tied the game with a two-run single in the fourth and then the Tigers piled on, launching three home runs in a six-run fifth inning, all coming against Diamondback starter Brandon Pfaadt.

Red Sox 8, Twins 5

Pierson Ohl got knocked around in his major league debut for Minnesota, allowing four runs over three innings. Trevor Story and Jarren Duran both left the yard for the Sox. Before the game, Minnesota put Byron Buxton on the IL with rib cage inflammation.

Phillies 6, White Sox 3

The Phillies jumped on Sox starter Jonathan Cannon for six runs in the first three innings.

The middle of the Central pack has shown little inclination to rebound from their June playoff odds swoon.

My AL Central trade deadline predictions:

• The Tigers will add. Obviously. How about a center fielder and a high-leverage reliever?
• The Guardians don’t like to keep anyone on their team who is making money. Carlos Santana (the highest-paid Guardian not named José Ramírez) is going to get traded.
• The Twins entertain me. They have two of the most coveted relievers at the deadline on their roster. They will do nothing.
• The White Sox will make a couple of low-impact deals that don’t improve the long-term outlook of their club. Chris Getz will still have a job in Chicago. So will Luis Robert Jr.