Garcia went 1-for-4 with one RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Mariners.
Garcia plated an insurance run with his eighth-inning single, and he swiped second shortly after the hit. The third baseman has two steals over the last three games and 10 thefts on the year. He's hit better in May, going 14-for-55 (.254) over 13 contests, lifting his season slash line to .239/.288/.369 with four home runs, 25 RBI and 20 runs scored over 192 plate appearances.
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Royals' Nelson Velazquez: Flips game around with homer
Rotowire
Velazquez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Mariners.
Mariners starter Logan Gilbert was excellent until the seventh inning, and Velazquez made him pay. The homer was Velazquez's third of the year and his first since April 4. He went just 5-for-55 over a 19-game span from April 14 to May 9, but Velazquez now has a five-game hitting streak. During the streak, he's 6-for-16 (.375). Overall, he's at a .227/.292/.361 slash line with 11 RBI, 18 runs scored and a stolen base over 37 contests. With fellow corner outfielders MJ Melendez and Hunter Renfroe hitting .183 and .159, respectively, there's room for Velazquez to challenge them if manager Matt Quatraro opts for other players at designated hitter.
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Royals' James McArthur: Converts 10th save
Rotowire
McArthur allowed a run on two hits and struck out three without walking a batter over 1.1 innings to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Mariners.
McArthur gave up a solo home run to Mitch Haniger in the ninth inning, but he was able to avoid any further damage. The right-hander has surrendered seven runs (six earned) over his last five appearances, and he's been tagged for four homers in that span. He's managed to convert saves in each of his last two outings despite the long balls. McArthur is 10-for-13 in save chances this year while adding a 4.58 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 21:3 K:BB through 19.2 innings. He does not appear to be in danger of losing the closer job yet, but it is concerning to see him give up so much hard contact.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Earns win over Mariners
Rotowire
Wacha (3-4) allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out seven over six innings to earn the win Tuesday over the Mariners.
Wacha limited the damage to a Luke Raley solo home run in the fourth inning. This was Wacha's second quality start in a row and his fourth in nine outings this year. He's also walked multiple batters in five of his starts, but he's given up a reasonable five homers. The right-hander has a 4.71 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 44:17 K:BB through 49.2 innings. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Tigers.
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Royals' Adam Frazier: Idle Tuesday
Rotowire
Frazier is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mariners.
Frazier will be out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games, with Michael Massey playing second base and Nelson Velazquez operating as the designated hitter.
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Royals' Kyle Isbel: Takes seat Tuesday
Rotowire
Isbel is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mariners.
Isbel will give up center-field work to Garrett Hampson for a third consecutive game. Isbel has gone hitless in four of his last six starts.
Blanco went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Monday's 6-2 loss to the Mariners.
Blanco was 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts in the game. The outfielder began the year in a bench role, but he's hit his way into starting four of the last five games with time at all three outfield positions. He's gone 7-for-17 (.412) since May 6. Blanco doesn't have much of a track record in a starting role, but he's slashed .293/.356/.439 with a home run, two RBI, 14 runs scored and 11 steals through 45 plate appearances this season as a speed-and-defense option. Blanco's increased playing time has primarily come at the expense of MJ Melendez and Kyle Isbel.
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Royals' Brady Singer: Falls to Mariners
Rotowire
Singer (3-2) took the loss against Seattle on Monday, allowing four runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out six batters over five innings.
Singer came into Monday having allowed exactly one run in three straight starts, but he couldn't keep that momentum going. The right-hander yielded four runs across the second and third frames, marking just the second time this season he's given up that many runs over an entire game. Singer still has a strong 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through nine starts on the campaign, and he's tossed at least five frames in each of his outings thus far.
Garcia went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Angels.
Garcia has hit safely in eight of 11 games in May, going 12-for-47 (.255) with four doubles, four RBI and five runs scored. His steal Sunday was his first of the month and his ninth of the season, and he's yet to be caught stealing. The third baseman is slashing .238/.290/.375 with four home runs, 24 RBI and 20 runs scored over 184 plate appearances. While Garcia hasn't profiled as an ideal leadoff hitter, he's done enough to keep that spot through the first quarter of the campaign in a fairly strong lineup.
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Royals' James McArthur: Allows run in ninth save
Rotowire
McArthur allowed a run on one hit and did not walk or strike out a batter over one inning to earn the save in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Angels.
McArthur was tagged for a solo home run by Willie Calhoun in the ninth inning, but the Royals' lead was never in real danger. Over 4.2 innings in May, McArthur has yielded six runs (five earned), with three of the eight hits he's allowed in that span leaving the yard. He's 9-for-12 in save opportunities while adding a hold, a 4.42 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP over 18.1 innings this season. The right-hander's shaky pitching of late hasn't cost him the closer job, but John Schreiber has been an excellent setup man and could take over if McArthur doesn't start locking things down.
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Royals' Seth Lugo: Dominant in win
Rotowire
Lugo (6-1) allowed one run on five hits while striking out 12 and walking none over eight innings to earn the win over the Angels on Sunday.
Quality of opponent aside, Lugo was excellent Sunday. He landed 77 of his 112 pitches for strikes and recorded double-digit strikeouts for the first time this season. It was also his first start without issuing a walk. The right-hander is now at a 1.66 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 48:12 K:BB through 59.2 innings over nine starts. Lugo's had good moments both as a starter and a reliever in his career, but his start to 2024 is a completely new level for the 34-year-old. He's projected to make his next start at home versus the Athletics.
Isbel is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
The lefty-hitting Isbel will cede center field to Garrett Hampson while the Angels bring southpaw Patrick Sandoval to the hill for the series finale.
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Royals' MJ Melendez: Resting against lefty
Rotowire
Melendez is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
The Royals will stock up some extra right-handed bats to counter Angels southpaw Patrick Sandoval, so the lefty-hitting Melendez will head to the bench for the series finale. Dairon Blanco will replace Melendez in left field.
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Royals' Adam Frazier: Not starting in series finale
Rotowire
Frazier is out of the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Angels.
The lefty-hitting Frazier will sit for a second straight game with the Angels sending out southpaw Patrick Sandoval for Sunday's series finale. Michael Massey will start at second base while Nelson Velazquez serves as the Royals' designated hitter Sunday. Frazier is slashing .188/.309/.250 with one home run and eight RBI over 94 plate appearances this season.
