Not even three weeks ago, some were starting to wonder if it was time to count the Royals out of the 2017 playoff race.

Now they’re back in contention.

The Royals have rattled off eight wins in their last nine games, and haven’t dropped a series since May 31 against the Detroit Tigers. Over this stretch, Kansas City has improved its record to 34-35, and the Royals have jumped both the Chicago White Sox and the Tigers in the American League Central standings.

How have the Royals executed this stark turnaround? Simply put, they’ve finally started hitting. The lineup has transformed from the beginning of this year, when nearly every player was hitting below .250, to now having six players, including Eric Hosmer (.308) and Whit Merrifield (.292), hitting above that line. The team’s offensive stars, Hosmer, Salvador Perez, Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas, have all come around from early season struggles. To go along with them, second baseman Merrifield (25 RBI) and rookie outfielder Jorge Bonifacio (.250 AVG, 9 HR) have both emerged as important offensive cogs during the hot streak. In the last 30 games, Merrifield has hit .336 with 19 RBI, Hosmer has hit .325 with 5 homers, Perez has hit .291 with 7 homers, Cain has hit .275 with 9 homeruns and Moustakas has hit .303 with 10 homers and an impressive 31 RBIs. Offensively, this team is hot.

Not only has the hitting been rock solid, but the Royals’ pitching staff has been phenomenal as well. Although left hander Danny Duffy has had some trouble over the last month others have stepped up to fill that void. Starting pitcher Jason Hammel has led that charge. After an abysmal start to his 2017 campaign, Hammel has turned it around and is now 3-1 with a 3.36 ERA in the last 30 days. Jason Vargas has continued his surprising campaign for the Cy Young Award (10-3, 2.27 ERA) and has proved that he’s the real deal this year. If Vargas keeps this up, he could be the first Royal to receive Cy Young honors since Zack Greinke in 2009.

Although it isn’t likely the Royals will stay this hot for the remainder of the season, this winning streak has put the Royals back around .500 and has thrown the team right back into the fight for the playoffs. The lineup is starting to click, and if Duffy can get back to the dominant pitcher he is, the Royals could be a very tough team to beat. As it stands now, the Royals sit 3.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians in the division and are just one game out of a densely packed American League wild card race.

The Royals host the Boston Red Sox tonight at 7:15 PM.

Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com