Royals give Lugo shortened start as part of plan to rest rotation

ATLANTA – In many ways, the Royals clinching their postseason spot on Friday night was ideal in terms of timing.

But because they got it done on the third-to-last day of the regular season, it allowed them to make sure their two best rotation arms will be fresh for the postseason.

The Royals stuck with Seth Lugo as their starter in Saturday’s 2-1 walk-off loss to the Braves at Truist Park, but they only had him throw two innings as a final tuneup before October.

And they won’t start Cole Ragans for Sunday’s regular-season finale, instead having the lefty rest up for either Tuesday or Wednesday -- Game 1 or Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series.

To be clear: These two games do still matter for seeding purposes. The Royals don’t know if they’ll head to Baltimore or Houston next week. They currently hold the No. 6 seed in the AL field, and if the season ended now, the Royals would go to Houston and play the No. 3 seed and AL West champion Astros. But the Royals (85-76) are only one game behind the Tigers, who also lost Saturday, and hold the tiebreaker over Detroit. So if the Royals win on Sunday and the Tigers lose, the Royals would clinch the No. 5 seed and go to Baltimore to face the No. 4-seed Orioles.

The Royals wanted to win Saturday, but it was even more important to get 100% ready for next week. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was on the bench for the first time this season, even after setting a goal of playing in all 162 games. With normal aches and pains that the end of the season brings, Witt and the Royals thought it best for him to take the day.