SEPTEMBER 24, 2023•NEWSOBSERVER.COM
Hot Royals hand Astros another damaging setbackTaylor Clarke muted a late rally attempt and the Kansas City Royals turned small-ball offense into a 3-2 victory over the host Houston Astro...
Lyles pitches five scoreless, Royals beat Astros 3-2 as Houston maintains hold on wild-card spot
Jordan Lyles gave up just two hits in five innings, Bobby Witt Jr. drove in his 93rd run of the season and the Kansas City Royals beat the Houston Astros 3-2SEPTEMBER 24, 2023•ASSOCIATED PRESS
With eye on 2024, red-hot Kansas City Royals beat playoff-hopeful Houston Astros againThe streaking Royals have won five in a row and nine of their last 10.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2023•KANSASCITY.COM
Spencer Arrighetti - On minor-league injured listArrighetti was placed on the minor-league injured list Saturday with a right forearm contusion, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
ImpactThe timing of the injury seemingly ends Arrighetti's season, but it's a positive that he doesn't appear to be dealing with any sort of muscle issue. The 2021 sixth-round pick reached Triple-A for the first time this season but saw his numbers tail off once he got there. His strikeout rate fell to 23.1 percent after coming in at 31.2 percent at the Double-A level, while his walk rate jumped from 9.1 percent to 13.4 percent. The result was an uninspiring 4.64 ERA and a 5.36 FIP.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2023•ROTOWIRE
Michael Brantley - Shoulder still bothersomeBrantley's general soreness, which has kept him out of the lineup for five consecutive games, is mostly concentrated in his shoulder, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports...
ImpactBrantley returned in late August after shoulder surgery kept him off the field for over a year, but he only lasted 12 games before health concerns popped up again. Given that the Astros are now acknowledging that his soreness is located in that same surgically repaired shoulder, it's more difficult to see him shaking the issue off and playing a meaningful role over the final week of the regular season.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2023•ROTOWIRE
Martín Maldonado - Heads to benchMaldonado will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Royals.
ImpactMaldonado is hitting .189/.258/.343 on the season and has graded out five runs worse than any other catcher at framing pitches (per Statcast). Even with rookie backstop Yainer Diaz breaking out to the tune of a .286/.310/.551 slash line, Maldonado remains Houston's primary catcher, though his off day Saturday means he only has a 5-4 advantage in starts over the last nine games.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2023•ROTOWIRE
Michael Brantley - Remains sidelindBrantley (soreness) remains on the bench for Saturday's game against the Royals.
ImpactBrantley will sit for the fifth straight game while dealing with general soreness. Shoulder troubles prevented him from making his season debut until late August, and he recorded a modest .702 OPS in 12 games between his return and his recent shutdown. It's not clear that he'll be able to play a significant role for the Astros over the final eight days of the season.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2023•ROTOWIRE
