Royals move closer to Wild Card spot with victory over Nationals

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The Kansas City Royals moved one step closer to a wild card berth with a 3-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.

With the win, the Royals now need three games to secure a wild card spot.

Kansas City scored first at the start of the third inning when second baseman Michael Massey hit a single, allowing outfielder Kyle Isbel to score another run.

The Royals scored two more runs early in the sixth inning on Robbie Grossman’s single that scored Salvador Perez and Yuli Gurriel.

Three runs were all the Royals needed, as the team’s pitchers were able to get the shutout, although Michael Lorenzen left the game after just 2 1/3 innings.

Kansas City has not allowed a run since the second inning of a 2-0 loss to San Francisco at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday.

The Royals pitchers threw seven scoreless innings to close out the game against the Giants and then managed 10 scoreless innings in a 1-0 extra-inning win over the Nationals on Tuesday.

This victory ended a series of seven defeats.

The 26 innings without a single run are the longest streak in franchise history.

The magic number could change to two games by the end of the evening if the Minnesota Twins lose to the Miami Marlins.

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