Kansas City right-hander Michael Lorenzen left the game in the third inning during his start against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night due to lower body fatigue. The Royals described this decision as being made “as a precaution.”
Lorenzen, who was activated from the 15-day injured list before the game, hadn’t pitched since August 27. After his early exit, manager Matt Quatraro was hopeful that Lorenzen could still help the team in the playoffs as a reliever.
“We only have four regular season games left,” Quatraro said. “He doesn’t grab one of those starts unless something crazy happens. But you know, when he’s rested I think he’ll be another guy that we can count on out of the pen.”
In his short outing, Lorenzen struck out two batters and didn’t give up a hit in 28 pitches, leaving the game with a 1-0 lead while Nasim Nuñez was at bat. Lorenzen mentioned he called for the training staff because he felt his leg had reached its limit.
“I could tell my leg reached its limit and I didn’t want to push it,” Lorenzen said. “We’re so close to getting to where we want to be. And I feel like the value of me being available for that is more important than me trying to push through something.”
Daniel Lynch IV came in and pitched another scoreless inning, helping the Royals win 3-0.
The Royals (84-74) are currently in the second AL wild card spot, ahead of Detroit (84-74) due to their head-to-head record, and 2.5 games ahead of Minnesota (81-76) and Seattle (82-77).
The Royals began their three-game series in Washington with a 1-0 win in 10 innings on Tuesday night, breaking a seven-game losing streak and keeping their hold on the second wild card. They will end the season with a three-game series against Atlanta, which is just a half-game behind for the final NL wild card spot.
