Lugo will start Wednesday in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Yankees, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Lugo will toe the rubber Wednesday night after the Royals were able to even the series Monday. The right-hander turned in a decent outing in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series against Baltimore, allowing one run on five hits and one walk while striking out six over 4.1 innings.
Lugo allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three over two scoreless innings in a no-decision versus Atlanta on Saturday.
The Royals clinched their playoff spot Friday, so Lugo stayed on turn but only threw 36 pitches (23 strikes) in his final start of the regular season. The light workload should keep him fresh enough to make a start in the wild-card round. He finishes with a 16-9 record, 3.00 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 181:48 K:BB over a career-high 206.2 innings across 33 starts this season. Seattle's Logan Gilbert could surpass Lugo for the major-league lead in innings pitched this year, as the former enters his scheduled start Sunday with 203 frames over 32 starts.
Lugo (16-9) yielded two runs on three hits over seven innings Sunday, striking out five and taking a loss against the Giants.
Both runs and all three hits against Lugo came during the second inning, and he retired the final 16 batters he faced. Despite the strong outing, he was given the loss as the Royals were shut out by Blake Snell and the Giants' bullpen. Lugo has posted four quality starts over his last five appearances, producing a 2.02 ERA during that span. The veteran righty owns an impressive 3.03 ERA and 178:47 K:BB through 204.2 innings this season. Lugo is projected to finish his 2024 regular season with a start in Atlanta next weekend.
