How the KC Royals reset the team vibes ahead of 6 games that will decide their season

The Kansas City Royals’ off-day came at the right time.

On Monday, the Royals were able to reset after a winless final regular-season homestand at Kauffman Stadium. Several players spent time resting and clearing their minds ahead of a crucial six-game road trip.

Pitcher Brady Singer enjoyed an afternoon with his family. He made a special breakfast and spent time with his young son.

“It’s nice to get a little break and lock back in for the rest of this week,” Singer said. “Obviously, it’s a big week for us. Nice little reset.”

Others began to pack for the long road ahead. The Royals will play the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves to end the regular season.

On the team flight, every player came with the same goal … and similar outfits. There was a planned theme where everyone wore camo clothing on the plane.

The mental reset, the road-trip vibes: It all comes with one objective in mind.

Make the playoffs.

“You know, a break away from the field gives us some perspective,” Royals infielder Paul DeJong said. “Then, doing our little team camo dress-up got some camaraderie out of that. We know what we have in front of us. Now, it’s just back to the daily work.”

The Royals are battling the Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners for the final American League Wild Card spots. KC sits at 82-74 and a half-game behind Detroit for the second Wild Card spot.

The Tigers (83-74) defeated the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Twins (81-75) and Mariners (81-76) are within 1 ½ games of the Royals for the last spot.

The Royals entered Tuesday with a magic number of six games. This is the total number of Royals wins and Twins losses in order to clinch a playoff spot.

“We’ve got six games left and we just saw how a six or seven-game stretch can affect the season,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “But the positive is that, you know, we are still in a good spot and we control our destiny.”

The Royals first look to get back on track behind All-Star ace Cole Ragans, set to start on Tuesday night against the Nationals at Nationals Park.

Ragans owns a 2.55 ERA in 14 starts following a Royals loss this season. The Royals have won eight of those starts as Ragans posted 105 strikeouts and 10 quality starts.

“Hopefully, we can come out, play with a sense of urgency and play a little bit better,” Royals outfielder MJ Melendez said. “I think that is what’s needed and we will see how the guys come out today.”

The Royals know what’s at stake. The club is looking to become the third KC team in nearly 40 seasons to reach the playoffs.

The last postseason berths were in 1985, 2014 and 2015. In each season, the Royals made a World Series appearance.

Picollo is confident in his current group to rally with time running out.

“When we get this done, we are going to get it done with the guys in this clubhouse,” Picollo said of the playoff chances. “That’s how we got here. We are not going to go off the grid to try to push the right button that you have no idea if that’s going to be the right button to push.”

The Royals pushed the right buttons to arrive at this juncture. The playoffs are on the horizon, and now they must figure out how to reach the finish line.

Monday’s off-day offered some recourse. Now, the Royals have to utilize the short reset to propel themselves forward.

“It’s more of a feeling,” DeJong said. “I think we have to all feel and believe that we are capable of winning today. And then the kind of details will shake out as the game goes. It’s kind of an energy, belief and shared subconscious that we know we can do it no matter what. You know, that attitude will be exhibited in the way we play.”