Kansas City Royals must get hot before tough stretch of games

The Kansas City Royals are in the middle of the playoff race right now and control their own destiny. However, they need to get hot again before going on a tough stretch of games against other contenders.

Over the past couple of months, the Kansas City Royals have been one of the hottest teams in baseball. With a solid June and July, the Royals managed to climb back into the thick of the playoff race. They now hold the second Wild Card and control their own destiny. However, they have to get hot again, especially with their upcoming opponents.

During the Royals two month stretch of success, just the Astros and Dodgers posted better records over the same time period. Playing that well for two months in a row is nothing to scoff at. It shows that this team is very much in contention right now.

As things stand, the Royals are currently three games behind the Indians in the AL Central and share the lead with the Rays for the second Wild Card. That puts Kansas City in the drivers seat right now, and gives them the advantage over the rest of the American League.

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Trouble Ahead

However, things are about to get a lot tougher for the Kansas City Royals. The Royals will close out the month of August by playing twelve straight games against postseason contenders. That is not an easy task for anyone, and is the exact reason why they need to start building their momentum right now.

There is some silver lining here as half of those twelve games will be against the Indians. While that isn’t an easy opponent by any means, it does represent an opportunity for the Royals to make up some ground, if not take the lead, within the division. That would put Kansas City in a very good position to get to the postseason.

Unfortunately, the Royals are going to have to achieve this without the help of one of their best players. Salvador Perez hasn’t been given a timetable for his return, and the long end of things is four weeks. That would mean he would miss all twelve of those crucial games. Right when Kansas City needs him the most.

They Know What Is At Stake

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Don’t go thinking that this Kansas City Royals team doesn’t appreciate exactly where they are right now. There are plenty of players on this roster that were a part of that 2014 team that managed to barely get into the postseason. We all remember just how that worked out for them.

As for some of the newer players on the roster, they’ve undoubtedly heard all the stories and seen the pride. Emerging star Whit Merrifield has even admitted to scoreboard watching recently. Merrifield explained that he does it more than most on the team because he doesn’t have that postseason success on his resume.

That is a feeling that likely stretches all the way to the front office. Dayton Moore got aggressive at the MLB trade deadline, and acquired some talent for the team. That means he is all in on going after another World Series title. The first step on that path is to get into the postseason.

The Kansas City Royals have made an epic turnaround this season. This is a team that has proven they can play with just about any team in the league. The Royals will have to get back to their winning ways of June and July, especially with their upcoming schedule. If they can get hot again, it would be a huge boost to their playoff chances.