Seth Lugo DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo tossed six innings of two-run ball (one earned) with five hits en route to picking up his first victory over the Baltimore Orioles. He served up one walk and struck out two batters. Heston Kjerstad would bring in the first run of the evening in the second inning. Later in that frame, Kjerstad would cross home on a throwing error. This was a nice bounce-back outing for the 35-year-old as he allowed three runs, four hits, and three walks across five frames in his first start of the campaign. Last summer, Lugo enjoyed an impressive season as he logged 206 1/3 innings to the tune of a strong 3.00 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He tallied 181 punchouts and served up 48 free passes. Lugo will look to continue this momentum in his next scheduled start on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo lasted five innings in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Yankees, allowing two earned runs on just two hits, but he walked four batters and only struck out two on the way to earning a no-decision. Lugo posted a better-than-average 5.7% BB% in the regular season so it is uncharacteristic of him to lose his command. The Royals will need to win two in a row in order to extend their season, so if this is Lugo's final game pitched in 2024, it closes out a phenomenal year for the righty. The 34-year-old finished the regular season 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 15.9% K-BB%.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo will take the mound for his team's American League Division Series Game 3 matchup at home against the Yankees. The 34-year-old made a solid start against the Orioles in the wild-card series, allowing one run over 4 1/3 innings pitched with one walk and six strikeouts. Lugo was a surprise asset for the Royals and fantasy managers in the regular season, going 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and a 21.7% strikeout rate in 33 starts and 206 2/3 IP. He pitched deep into both of his regular-season starts against the Yankees, allowing four runs in seven IP with four strikeouts in his first matchup and no runs in seven IP with 10 strikeouts in his second. His regular-season success and his above-average ground-ball rate could make him a useful DFS play despite the tough opponent.