The Kansas City Royals, with their pitching staff on a record run, will shoot for a three-game series sweep when they visit the Washington Nationals on Thursday.
The Royals blanked the Nationals 3-0 on Wednesday for their second straight win after seven losses. Kansas City (84-74) remains tied with the Detroit Tigers (84-74) for the second and third American League wild-card spots, two games ahead of the Minnesota Twins (82-76) and 2 1/2 games up on the Seattle Mariners (82-77).
A pair of veterans will face off in the finale as 33-year-old Kansas City right-hander Michael Wacha (13-8, 3.28 ERA) opposes 35-year-old left-hander Patrick Corbin (6-13, 5.58).
On Wednesday night, the Royals shut out the Nationals for the second straight game. Kansas City pitchers have tossed 26 consecutive scoreless innings, topping the previous franchise mark of 24 set in June 1976 and matched in May 2015.
“That’s remarkable, regardless of the time of year, but especially in September, when these guys are all running on fumes,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.
Kansas City’s Michael Lorenzen, making his first start after missing a month due to a hamstring issue, left in the third inning on Wednesday, but five relievers finished the two-hitter.
“Everybody wants to try to match the energy of whoever threw a zero or whoever is coming in after,” reliever Angel Zerpa said through an interpreter after contributing a scoreless inning.
Lorenzen said postgame that he came out merely due to leg fatigue, expressing optimism the problem was minor.
The Nationals (69-89) have gone 31 innings without a run. Washington has lost eight of nine, having scored one run or none in seven of those games.
“I think they’re pressing, for sure,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said of his hitters. “We’ve just got to go out there relaxed (Thursday). Just get a good pitch to hit.”
Wacha has allowed two or fewer runs in four straight starts, pitching to a 1.99 ERA in that stretch. Last time out, he allowed two runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings against the San Francisco Giants on Friday.
Wacha is 4-2 with a 2.74 ERA in seven games (six starts) vs. Washington.
Corbin will make his 170th start as a National on Thursday, and it might be his last for the team.
He signed a six-year, $140 million free agent contract with Washington in December 2018 and paid immediate dividends. Corbin went 14-7 with a 3.25 ERA in 2019 and was 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA in three World Series appearances, including earning the win in relief as Washington beat Houston 6-2 in Game 7.
Since that game, Corbin is 33-70 with a 5.61 ERA. He led the National League in losses each of the past three seasons and is on pace to do so again. Valued for eating innings while the Nationals groom their next generation of starters, Corbin has worked between 150-180 innings in each of the past four seasons.
“He was a key component of a world championship, the first one in D.C. in forever,” general manager Mike Rizzo told the Washington Post. “And then we go into a rebuild, and he didn’t have nearly the success in wins and losses and ERA. But he (pitched) every fifth day. That’s huge.”
After winning three consecutive starts from Aug. 22-Sept. 3, Corbin has been up down over his past three. Last time out, he gave up five runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings of a no-decision against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 19.
Corbin is 1-0 record with a 3.38 ERA in three games (two starts) against the Royals.
