Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
After winning seven straight series coming out of the All-Star break, the Kansas City Royals have now come down to earth, losing their last two. Both were crushing as one was versus the last-place Miami Marlins, and the other against the Detroit Tigers — the team they’re trying to run down in the AL Central.
The Royals are now 6.5 games behind a Wild Card spot and 8.5 back in the AL Central. With 39 games left, time is running out if they want to make a run at the playoffs. The good news for Kansas City is that 16 of their next 17 games are against losing teams.
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Starting with the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, the Royals have a great opportunity to gain some ground in the AL.
Winning the division is a long shot, but not completely out of the question for Kansas City. After going through their run of losing teams, six of the Royals’ next nine games will be versus Detroit. Kansas City will have the potential to get closer to the Tigers before the two teams play their final six games against each other. Detroit will be facing winning teams in 10 of their next 16.
This is it for the Royals. They need to get hot now, and stay hot when they take on the Tigers. It starts on Tuesday night when Ervin Santana takes the hill against John Danks. Kansas City has been one of the streakiest teams in baseball this season, and this is a perfect chance for them to put together another winning streak. It’s their last chance if they want to make a serious run at the playoffs.
Aaron Charles is a Kansas City Chiefs writer for www.rantsports.com. Follow him on twitter @aaroncharleskc or add him to your network on Google
