Royals’ Seth Lugo eyes repeat efficiency in opener vs. Angels

Opening a three-game series against the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Monday, the Kansas City Royals hope to continue a devastating formula of solid starting pitching and big offensive innings.

In winning four straight, Royals starters allowed two earned runs in 24 2/3 innings.

Right-hander Seth Lugo (13-7, 3.04 ERA) tries to continue that trend while reversing his own downward trend.

While losing five of seven starts, Lugo posted a 5.36 ERA. The All-Star allowed a season-high eight runs (seven earned) in a season-low four innings during the Royals’ 13-3 shellacking by the Twins on Tuesday.

Lugo looks to repeat his outing against the Angels on May 12 when he struck out 12 in eight innings, allowing a run on five hits in a 4-2 win.

Against the Angels, he is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in three games (two starts).

Kansas City’s bats put up big innings throughout a three-game sweep in Cincinnati, outscoring the Reds 28-3.

“They play the whole game,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of his hitters. “They don’t take any at-bats off. They don’t take anything for granted.”

“You’ve got to give a lot of credit to the hitting coaches,” Michael Massey said. “We’re prepared up and down the lineup. Guys are taking the plan and executing in the box.”

Dairon Blanco contributed three homers and eight RBIs in the series, including a grand slam and seven RBIs in the Royals’ 13-1 win Saturday before adding a solo homer Sunday.

“He had a down day today with just one homer,” Quatraro said jokingly.

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Bobby Witt Jr. became the second youngest Royals player to reach 500 career hits — behind only Hall of Famer George Brett — with an RBI single in a four-run ninth during Kansas City’s 8-1 win Sunday.

Vinnie Pasquantino has a major-league best 30 RBIs since the All-Star break and 92 for the year, third in the American League. Witt is fourth with 91.

While the Royals are swinging hot bats, the Angels’ offense is going in reverse.

Missing perennial All-Star Mike Trout from their lineup, the injury-riddled Angels are struggling to score. Los Angeles ranks 27th in the majors with 493 runs.

The Angels have dropped three straight series, scoring more than four runs just once while losing seven of nine games. Los Angeles scored fewer than four runs each game while losing five of its past six.

“We had a chance, we had the right part of the lineup up and got nothing out of it,” Angels manager Ron Washington said after a second straight extra-inning loss to the Nationals last Saturday. “That’s not too good.”

Los Angeles was hitless in 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position while being swept by the Toronto Blue Jays before dropping two of three to the Atlanta Braves over the weekend.

Right-hander Carson Fulmer (0-3, 4.22) will open the 10-game road trip — the Angels’ longest of the season — making his seventh start after 24 relief appearances. He has a 4.82 ERA as a starter.

Stung by the long ball, Fulmer has surrendered five homers in 28 innings as a starter, including two in his last start against the Blue Jays on Tuesday, when he allowed five runs in three innings.

“Just couldn’t get the ball down,” Washington said. “Couldn’t put an inning away.”

In seven appearances (one start) against the Royals, Fulmer is 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA. He tossed seven shutout innings in his lone start while with the Chicago White Sox in 2018.

–Field Level Media