Royals And Lugo Should Take Down Fish

Royals vs. Marlins, 7:10 ET

This is probably one of the more pivitol weeks for baseball teams of the season. The All-Star Break is gone, which means the official playoff push comes now. Some teams are going to make a huge run this week, others will struggle and there are going to be a lot of names flying around the trading block based on what happens this week. Two teams that have some decisions to make are squaring off today as the Royals take on the Marlins in a series where both could use a jolt. 

The Royals entered the year with expectations that Bobby Witt Jr. would be the MVP this season and the Royals would once again battle for the American League Central division. To this point in the campaign, neither has been true, and my guess is neither will happen. Witt was still an All-Star, but hasn't been quite as great as you would've hoped. The Royals can somewhat be described that way, too. They aren't an All-Star team, or playing above .500 baseball, but they also haven't been terrible. Their numbers are not bad as a team, they just can't seem to separate themselves and get a sustained winning streak. Today they turn to a guy who would have a lot of interest should he become available - Seth Lugo. Lugo has been very good for the Royals and I might be his #1 fan based on last year's performance. He has been just about as good this year as last, coming into the game with a 6-5 record and a 2.67 ERA, with a 1.08 WHIP. Those are top-20 pitcher numbers, and he has been consistently doing it for Kansas City for a while now. Marlins hitters are just 1-for-16 against Lugo.

This year has been a major struggle for Sandy Alcantara. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)

The Marlins were expected to be one of the worst teams in baseball, but they've quietly become somehwat respectable this season. They won't make the playoffs, and they likely will be sellers at the deadline, but the team has at leas played pretty good baseball. They were only a few games under .500 about a week before the All-Star Break. They currently sit seven games under. If they were to win this week I still doubt that their ownership invests into the team, because there is little track record of that, but at least they could potentially keep who they have together. One guy to take a flyer on is today's starter, Sandy Alcantara. He hasn't regained his Cy Young form from a few years ago, but he has shown some flashes of it this season. Surface level, the numbers are ugly. He is 4-9 with a 7.22 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. After putting together four straight great starts, and looking very strong, he has now issued three straight games with at least five earned runs allowed. He has an ERA north of five when pitching in Miami as well. Royals hitters don't have a ton of experience against him, only Jonathan India has seen him more than twice and he is 3-for-10. 

I'm a little surprised we are getting this line - perhaps it is because Kansas City recently put Lugo as the starter, but the Marlins should be overmatched in this game. Alcantara has been very streaky and inconsistent. If a team does trade for him, they need to accept that he may not be usable at all down the stretch for a postseason spot. I certainly won't support him here. Back the Royals. 

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