Seth Lugo struggles as Royals fall to Nationals, 8-7

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Aug 13, 2025

Published in Baseball

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals know what’s at stake.

A return to the postseason is not a given, regardless of the sheer talent on your roster. It doesn’t matter how much money a team has spent or how many trades were made during the season.

The Royals have the talent and have spent the money. Still, they entered Wednesday’s action four games behind the New York Yankees for the third and final spot in the American League wild-card race.

Wins are the only thing that can change that.

The Royals began their 10-game homestand with a series victory over the Washington Nationals but gave up a run in the ninth inning on Wednesday and fell, 8-7. KC will now welcome the Chicago White Sox this weekend and Texas Rangers next week at Kauffman Stadium.

“Every game is critical, obviously,” Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel said. “We are at that time of the year. We are hoping to get hot and win a lot of games. It’s a big homestand coming up and we just gotta keep rolling.”

Here are some takeaways from the midweek series.

What happened to Lugo?

The Royals’ starting rotation has been in flux for weeks now. The club is missing veteran pitchers Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic and Michael Lorenzen due to injuries.

And now Lugo is struggling on the mound. On Wednesday he allowed seven runs across four innings. He labored with his command and issued four walks.

Lugo’s velocity was slightly down across the board. His four-seam fastball, which averaged 91.8 mph, was a tick slower. He generated 38 swings but recorded just five whiffs.

Washington took advantage with five runs in the first inning. Nathaniel Lowe belted a grand slam and put the Royals in an early hole. Drew Millas, Brady House and CJ Abrams recorded RBIs for the Nationals in the middle innings.

Abrams belted a solo homer in the fourth. It was his 16th of the year and knocked Lugo out of the game.

Lugo hasn’t been sharp recently. He also allowed seven earned runs in his previous start, against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. And he has walked batters at an alarming rate.

Lugo has issued 14 free passes in his last four outings, against the Nationals, Twins, Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves.

Pasquantino stays hot

Vinnie Pasquantino ignited the Royals’ offense during the Nationals series.

Shaking off his struggles since the All-Star break, Pasquantino made his presence felt with two home runs and nine RBIs. He finished 4 for 12 but made a ton of loud contact at the plate.

On Wednesday he hit a three-run homer that pulled the Royals within a run in the fourth inning.

Pasquantino leads the Royals with 22 homers and 80 RBIs this season.

“There have been a lot of adjustments made by me over the past week or so, just trying to figure some things out,” he said Tuesday. “I mean, it’s no secret I haven’t been very good since the All-Star break. It’s the ebbs and flows of this game.”

Lorenzen set to return this week

The Royals will welcome back pitcher Michael Lorenzen this week.

He is scheduled to start Saturday’s game against the White Sox after missing time with a left-oblique strain. He was placed on the 15-day injured list July 14 and missed 24 games.

He needed time to recover and build his arm back up. The Royals sent Lorenzen on a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas; in a recent start he allowed three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.

With Lorenzen back in the fold, the Royals will shift left-handed starter Bailey Falter to the bullpen. Falter gives them another bullpen option down the stretch.

The Royals will also keep talented rookie Ryan Bergert in the starting rotation. He has impressed since arriving from the Padres in the trade that sent catcher Freddy Fermin to San Diego. Bergert will start Sunday against the White Sox in his first appearance at Kauffman Stadium.

After an off-day Thursday, the Royals’ series against the White Sox begins on Friday. Noah Cameron will take the baseball as KC’s starting pitcher opposite right-handed veteran Aaron Civale.

Avila makes MLB debut

The Royals got their first glimpse at right-handed reliever Luinder Avila in Wednesday’s series finale against Washington.

Avila pitched a scoreless eighth inning against the Nationals. He induced two groundouts and registered his first career strikeout.

Avila touched 97 mph with his fastball while mixing in a curveball and sinker. It was his first game action after spending time on the taxi squad earlier this year.