Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas stood in front of his locker Tuesday afternoon, and before long, a conversation analyzing the work of his teammates shifted to a 2017 prognostication. He projected his comeback from a serious knee injury, the return of a veteran, playoff-tested core and the potential impact of young prospects.
Hours later, the Royals tabled the 2017 talk for 24 hours.
The Royals fought off two deficits and used outfielder Billy Burns’ sacrifice fly to defeat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 in 11 innings Tuesday, staving off postseason elimination for another day.
The Royals, 80-77, have five games left in the regular season and trail Baltimore by five games for the second American League wild-card berth.