The Royals have had a rough stretch lately, dropping seven of their last nine, getting outscored 64-39 over that period. Their grip on home field advantage now seems tenuous with the red-hot Blue Jays charging and now trailing by just 2.5 games while holding the tie-breaker. The Royals seem to be playing their worst baseball at the worst possible time, with playoff baseball scheduled to start in just three weeks. The reaction from fans has ranged from concern to outright panic.
There is reason for concern. We saw three teams look like world beaters last season for much of the year only to collapse in the second half - the Tigers, Athletics, and Brewers.