The following statement is either a source of true hope or genuine frustration, depending on your perspective: The Royals entered Sunday afternoon just three games out of first place and 2 1/2 back in the race for the second American League Wild Card spot.
There is hope here, of course, because despite five straight losses, sandwiched around the All-Star break, the Royals remained in the thick of the postseason conversation. There is frustration, though, because Royals manager Ned Yost spent much of the last week peering at the standings in the American League, where the Royals’ chief competition kept spinning their tires in the mud.