The Kansas City Royals and New York Mets may be the two most disappointing teams in baseball this season.
But at least both clubs will have some momentum heading into Tuesday night’s opener of a three-game interleague series in New York.
Right-hander Seth Lugo (3-6, 4.20 ERA) is expected to start for the Royals against his former club. The Mets have yet to announce a starter.
Both teams earned much-needed wins over National League East foes on Monday. The host Royals rolled to a 15-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the decisive contest of a three-game set, while the Mets salvaged a split of a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves.
The Royals, who are in last place in the American League Central and have the second-worst record in the AL at 37-54, scored six first-inning runs off All-Star Cristopher Sanchez and never let up against the Phillies.
Kansas City scored in the first eight innings for just the second time ever. The Royals also scored in all eight innings in which they batted on Sept. 14, 1998, when they posted a 16-6 win over the visiting Oakland Athletics.
The Royals set season highs in runs and hits (22) on Monday. The 15 runs were three more than Kansas City scored across the previous five games, a span in which it went 1-4.
“It’s been a tough slog here for a while, wins-and loss-wise, but it doesn’t change their attitude, the character, the preparation,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “It has not gone our way, or the way we would have liked, but that doesn’t change who they are and what they’re made of and how they go out there and compete.”
A modest two-game winning streak for the Mets, who reside in last place in the National League East and hold a 38-53 record that is the second worst in the NL, has come with a high degree of self-inflicted difficulty.
The Mets nearly squandered a seven-run, ninth-inning lead Sunday before closer Devin Williams struck out Dominic Smith to finish a 10-9 win over Atlanta.
On Monday, New York mounted a rare ninth-inning comeback after Juan Soto hit the go-ahead three-run homer of Braves closer Raisel Iglesias.
But the NL East-leading Braves scored twice off Williams to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth. After Luis Torrens’ go-ahead double in the 10th inning, Luke Weaver gave up a one-out RBI double to Michael Harris II and loaded the bases with two outs before retiring Mauricio Dubon on a fielder’s choice.
The 7-6 win improved the Mets to 2-112 when trailing after eight innings since the start of last season, according to the New York Post. It also gave New York just its second series win or split in its last eight tries.
“They have a pretty good team and pretty good players over there, and we showed that we can beat them,” Soto said. “At least to split the series, I think, is good to see. Positive stuff.”
Lugo, meanwhile, allowed three runs over six innings in a 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.
The right-hander has yet to pitch against the Mets, the only team he’s yet to oppose. Lugo was selected by New York in the 34th round of the 2011 draft and spent his first seven big league seasons with the club before he signed with the San Diego Padres as a free agent following the 2022 campaign.
–Field Level Media
