After going 8-2 in their last 10 games, the Royales now have a 3-game lead over the stumbling Tigers. And after today, the Royals are back at home for a 10-game homestand, mostly against Min, Cleve, and Texas.
They have a great shot to pull away by the beginning of September. Then from September 8-10, they are at Detroit for a big 3-game series, but then are back at home for 10 MORE in a row, starting with 4 against the lowly Red Sox, and ending with 3 against the Tigers from September 19th to 21st.
They have no one with more than 15 HRs, and only two guys with an OPS+ over 100, but they are doing it with pitching. Killer bullpen, 4 starters in the rotation getting the job done. They are also second behind the Orioles in Fielding Bible's Runs Saved, with 32, despite being -10 at third base. They are getting the best defense in baseball at both LF and CF, at +19 and +23 runs respectively, which has helped their pitching a lot.
KC is positioned well to win the division, and get the city's first postseason win of any kind since 1994, when Joe Montana led the Chiefs to the AFC title game. And they could bring up Pedro Ciriaco and Clayton Mortenson from the minors for September reinforcements!