Alex

Lange

There were some long at-bats, but Cruz managed to work a clean ninth inning for his third save of the season. All three of those saves have come in the last two weeks and he seems to have unseated Alex Lange for closing duties in Kansas City. Cruz seems up for the task with a 100 mph fastball and cutter that has some serious bite to it.

It is notable that the Royals didn’t turn to nominal closer Alex Lange in a save situation after he blew Tuesday’s game. It didn’t work out very well for Matt Quatraro, who had Lucas Erceg load the bases while getting two outs in a 3-0 game and then had Strahm unload them. It’s hard to be confident about any closer emerging here down the stretch, though it’s a bit surprising they haven’t at least dabbled with Daniel Lynch IV in the role since he’s the only Royals reliever who has been appreciably good this year.

The Royals took a 2-1 lead into the ninth, but that was eliminated when Royce Lewis tripled high off the right-center wall off Lange with a pair on. That’s the third blown save for Lange, and his ERA is now an inflated 6.33 on the season. That’s also the third blown save in five changes for Lange, and it’s possible the Royals could look to make a change in who gets the ninth.

Cruz’s ERA is 4.62, which isn’t great. Matt Strahm (6.75), Lucas Erceg (5.26) and Alex Lange (6.00) do make it look better by comparison. Lange got the save on Saturday. Cruz struck out two batters Sunday, including winning a battle with Riley Greene to end the game. Cruz has a legitimate claim to being the best closing option for the Royals and at worst he should be considered next in line behind Lange.

Detroit’s former closer came back to haunt his old club, working around a pair of singles to spin a scoreless frame and protect a one-run advantage. It was his 10th save of the season and his first double-digit save total since recording 26 saves for the Tigers back in 2023.

Lange issued a one-out walk to bring the go-ahead run to the plate, but there was never any real danger. Lange struck out two in the inning and earned his ninth save of the season. It was a much-needed bounce-back outing after Lange blew his last two saves. The right-hander has command issues and a 6.15 ERA, which makes it tough to trust him in fantasy leagues.

Lange has had two appearances since the All-Star break and was charged with a blown save both times. In his last outing before the All-Star break, he allowed five runs. His ERA has ballooned to 6.30. Lange’s lack of effectiveness has rendered his status as the Royals’ closer relatively meaningless. He shouldn’t be active in fantasy lineups at this point.

Lange was one out away from securing this save until Ty France launched a solo home run to tie the game. This came after Lange imploded and allowed five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Mets in his last outing before the All-Star break. It feels like his grasp on this closer role should be tenuous.

Lange didn’t allow a hit, didn’t strike anyone out, and didn’t issue a walk. Boring, but effective. The 30-year-old is now up to seven saves, and while it’s paired with an ugly 4.95 ERA, it’s worth noting that mark ballooned after giving up five runs in the 22-1 shellacking against the White Sox on Friday. For the most part, Lange has looked like a solid stopper.

Lange got the call to protect a one-run lead in the final frame and needed just 15 pitches (10 strikes) to slam the door. He got Junior Caminero to fly out, struck out Ryan Vilade and coaxed a ground ball from speedster Chandler Simpson to end it. The 30-year-old appears to be the primary closing option for Kansas City at the moment, which gives him some appeal in deeper fantasy leagues.