Back on September 3rd, the AL-leading Kansas City Royals were sitting pretty with an 82–51 record, had a 13-game lead in the AL Central, and were up six games over Toronto for the best record in the league.
They’ve done a nose-dive since though.
Fast forward 10 games—of which the Royals have lost eight—and the Royals lead in the AL is suddenly down to just two games, while Minnesota is nine back in the division, with 19 games to play.
It’s not likely they'll miss out on the postseason, but they have the symptoms of a memorable collapse, a few years back.
What’s been their problem? Pitching. Starting pitching to be more specific.
Currently the team’s five-man rotation features three pitchers with a September ERA above 6.50—supposed ace Johnny Cueto (9.39), Edinson Volquez (7.20), and Kris Medlen (6.94). Meanwhile, Danny Duffy (4.50) and Yordano Ventura (4.50) haven’t exactly been scorching the earth.
In addition, the losses have been ugly. Six of their last eight defeats have been by four runs or more.
Four years ago, the Red Sox went through a similar scenario.
On August 27th they were sitting pretty at 82–51—their high-water mark for the season. Sound familiar?
