How the KC Royals' playoff chances improved with Friday's victory over the Twins

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Sep 5, 2025

Published in Baseball

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals are in a tightly contested race for the final spot in the American League Wild Card standings.

Five teams are chasing a postseason berth. And the Royals can’t afford to let any more winnable games fall by the wayside.

The Royals understand it’s time to make a late-season push. Their top veterans — such as Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Michael Wacha — must guide the team down the stretch.

Wacha answered the call on Friday night. He limited the Minnesota Twins to one run across 5 2/3 innings as the Royals earned a 2-1 victory at Kauffman Stadium. It was Wacha’s ninth win of the 2025 season and kept KC close in the wild-card chase.

Wacha hasn’t received adequate run support this season. The Royals gave him two total runs in his last two starts. And Wacha entered Friday’s action with the second-fewest runs of support among pitchers with at least 27 starts.

The Royals gave Wacha an early lead Friday. Third baseman Michael Garcia belted a two-run homer in the third inning off returning Twins starter Pablo Lopez. It was Garcia’s 16th home run as the Royals took a two-run advantage.

Meanwhile, Wacha kept the lead intact. He scattered four hits — including consecutive doubles — in the fifth inning. The Twins scored a run after catcher Jhonny Pereda drove in shortstop Brooks Lee.

That was the only damage Wacha surrendered. He tossed 51 of 83 pitches for strikes while issuing two walks and striking out five batters. Wacha had command of six pitches and generated 40 swings alongside 12 whiffs, per Baseball Savant.

Later, the Royals bullpen combined to stymie the Twins. KC relievers Angel Zerpa, John Schreiber, Daniel Lynch IV and Taylor Clarke bridged the gap to closer Carlos Estévez in the ninth. Estévez notched his 38th save as the Royals won their second straight game.

The Royals (72-69) inched closer to the Seattle Mariners in the AL Wild Card race. On Friday, the Mariners (73-68) lost to the Atlanta Braves. KC is now one game behind Seattle for the third and final wild-card spot heading into the weekend.

Bobby Witt Jr. exits game

The Royals made a significant defensive change in the seventh inning. Royals manager Matt Quatraro inserted utilityman Nick Loftin into the game for defense.

Loftin came in to play third base and Garcia shifted to shortstop. Witt — who started at shortstop — was removed from the game with low-back spasms.

Witt finished 0-for-3 before departing. He came in hitting .295 with 21 home runs and 77 RBIs in 139 games this year.

What’s next

The Royals continue their three-game series against the Twins on Saturday night. Right-hander Stephen Kolek (4-5, 3.99 ERA) will start opposite Twins ace Joe Ryan (13-7, 3.08 ERA). First pitch is set for 6:15 p.m. Central.

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