We’ve reached the final week of the season, and that means six home games left, all against teams still in contention. The Phillies, who won the division but are battling with the Dodgers for home-court advantage, will be here this weekend. First up, however, are the Royals, who have been one of the season’s best and are trying to make the playoffs after losing 106 games last year. Now, however, Kansas City is fighting for its life after losing seven games in a row, while the Tigers surprisingly came out of nowhere to catch them in the standings.
The Royals have a lot of young talent, including today’s starting pitcher: Cole Ragans. The 26-year-old left-hander was an All-Star this season and comes into this game with a 3.24 ERA and 217 strikeouts in 180 1/3 innings. It’s the first time in his career that he’s faced the Nationals.
Kansas City’s team, which also includes MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr., will also face an unfamiliar opponent in Mitchell Parker. The rookie left-hander is making his final start of the season and is hoping to rebound from a rough outing against the Mets last week and finish his impressive debut season on a high note.
The Nationals made a roster change today: Stone Garrett is back in the major leagues. He was recalled from Triple-A Rochester about 13 months after breaking his leg at Yankee Stadium. He takes the roster spot left by Andrés Chaparro, who went on paternity leave.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Where: National Park
Playing time: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 88.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Chance of rain, 69 degrees, wind 8 mph right field to left field
NATIONAL
by Dylan Crews
LF James Wood
1B Juan Yepez
2B Jose Tena
C Keibert Ruiz
DH Luis Garcia Jr.
CF Jacob Young
3B Trey Lipscomb
SS Nasim Nunez
LHP Mitchell Parker
ROYAL
LF Tommy Pham
SS Bobby Witt Jr.
1B Salvador Perez
DH Yuli Gurriel
C Freddy Fermin
RF Hunter Renfroe
3B Maikel Garcia
2B Garrett Hampson
CF Kyle Isbel
LHP Cole Ragan
