Game thread CLXI - “Royals” at Atlanta

The Royals are taking their quest to get the fifth seed very seriously.

Last night the Royals lost to Atlanta, but it didn’t matter, because the Twins also lost and so the Royals are going to the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Technically, they still have a shot at the five seed but they’d need to win one more game than the Tigers over the next two. The Royals are playing in Atlanta against a team that is scratching and clawing to earn their own postseason berth while the Tigers are hosting the worst team since the invention of the 162-game season. The Royals, naturally, are taking all of this competition very seriously and have trotted out a lineup that features only three of the starters from last night’s game. Considering that the bench only goes six deep, that’s the maximum turnover the team could have accomplished.

Of those playing for the second night in a row, Salvador Perez is the designated hitter because you literally can’t take him out of the lineup minus an act of some deity or another. Robbie Grossman, who has started the least of the waiver-deadline acquisitions, gets his first start in the outfield, and Garrett Hampson, who may not be on the playoff roster come Tuesday, will make his first start at first base this season.

Much to the dismay of Royals fans everywhere, Seth Lugo is getting the start tonight. It sounds like he, as Max Fried the night before, likes to keep to his routine as much as possible. Hopefully, unlike Fried, he’ll pitch only a couple of innings to keep things apace and give way to a parade of relievers to prepare for a start in the Wild Card series - most likely against the Astros.

Atlanta, meanwhile, is activating Reynaldo López for the game. He has been on the injured list for a couple of weeks with some sort of shoulder ailment. Before that he was a first-time All-Star while pitching to a 2.03 ERA. He was even better in his six starts prior to the injury, giving up five runs in 27 innings, striking out 37 and walking only 6. The replacement Royals will have their hands full if they want to prevent the Royals from being guaranteed the six seed tonight.

Lineups