Game thread CLXI - “Royals” at Atlanta

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.

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