The Royals are coming into this game with an 83-74 record this season and they are pushing to keep their Wild Card spot in this final stretch of the season. They are currently in the 2nd Wild Card spot, tied with the Tigers in the 3rd and final spot, and they only have a 2 game lead over the next team out. They have not been playing well recently, but they are coming off of a 1-0 win on Tuesday night and this is a series they need to win against a weaker team that has struggled all season and is already eliminated from playoff contention. They are going up against a Nationals team that is 69-88 this season and they have nothing to play for here other than spoiler. They have won 2 of their last 3 games, but they have also lost 6 of their last 8 games and their offense has struggled a lot in these. They have been shut out in their last 2 straight games and they have scored just 1 run or less in 6 of their last 8 games as well. Those scoring troubles are going to continue in this game as well. Michael Lorenzen is starting for the Royals in this game and he is 7-6 with a 3.43 ERA this season. He is coming off of an injury that has kept him out since August 27, but he was pitching very well before he got injured. He has only allowed 1 earned run total in his last 3 starts and he has allowed 1 earned run or less in 5 of his last 6 starts as well. Even his last 4 straight road starts have seen him allow 1 earned run or less in each. DJ Herz is starting for the Nationals in this game and he is 4-8 with a 4.30 ERA this season. He is in his rookie season and he has been pitching well in a lot of his starts, but he has also been very inconsistent as he has started allowing more runs recently. He has allowed at least 4 earned runs in 2 of his last 4 starts and he is coming off of a start which he allowed 7 earned runs in a little over 3 innings. He has also allowed at least 3 runs in 2 of his last 3 starts at home and the Royals do have a good offense that will be pushing to win this game so they can secure their playoff spot. The Royals need to win this game and the Nationals are not going to be able to score a lot between their recent offensive troubles and the way Lorenzen has been pitching. The Royals will win this game.