Royals flex muscle in crushing Cubs: Three takeaways from series win at Wrigley
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals hit eight home runs at Wrigley, clinching key series win over Cubs.
- Vinnie Pasquantino powered offense with two home runs and a double Wednesday.
- Seth Lugo delivered strong start, boosting trade value ahead of July deadline.
The Royals made themselves right at home at the Friendly Confines.
That’s the nickname for Wrigley Field, a place where the Royals’ batters obviously felt comfortable on Wednesday. They hit four two-run home runs in an 8-4 afternoon win over the Cubs. Vinnie Pasquantino hit two of those homers, while Salvador Perez and Tyler Tolbert each had one.
They also hit four on Monday night, so that’s eight homers in three games for the Royals.
Here are three takeaways from the series.
Big series win
The Cubs entered the series atop the National League Central but were knocked from that perch by the Royals, pending the outcome of the Brewers’ game Wednesday at Seattle.
The Royals (50-53) went 3-3 on their road trip and have won three of their last four as they hope to get back into the American League playoff picture.
Taking a series in Chicago was a step in that direction, as was avoiding a losing road trip.
“We believe in this group of guys,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We’ve had injuries, just like everybody else. But at the same time, we believe we can play good baseball and win a lot of games.
“This (Chicago) is the best team in the National League we just played, and (we went) toe to toe with those guys.”
Pasquatch power
Catcher Salvador Perez had an excellent day, but it didn’t match the one enjoyed by teammate Vinnie Pasquantino, who hit a pair of two-run homers and doubled.
Since July 1, Pasquantino is batting .284 with a 926 OPS. He has 11 extra-base hits, five home runs and 14 RBIs in July, per Ian Kraft, the Royals’ assistant director of media relations.
Having Pasquantino, who has five homers in 14 games, and Perez get hot at the same time should boost the Royals’ offense, which has struggled this season.
“I don’t have the data in front of me, but it seems like that’s what we kind of do on the road as of late,” Pasquantino said. “So it’s been pretty good in that aspect.
“It seems like when we get on the road, the ball starts flying a little bit more. Nothing to it, just maybe some more comfort. I don’t know what it could be, but I imagine we have a lot more on the road than at home.”
Pasquantino is right. The Royals have hit 25 just home runs in 50 games at Kauffman Stadium and a robust 60 in 53 road contests.
Lugo’s future
Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo was terrific again Wednesday. He allowed two runs on four hits with six strikeouts.
At one point, he struck out five straight Cubs batters in the fifth and sixth innings.
Lugo, who has a 2.95 ERA, was featured on the Cubs’ pre-game show as a potential trade target. He has a player option for the 2026 season. If he declines it, he will be a free agent.
The Major League Baseball trade deadline is July 31 and the Royals face a decision: Keep Lugo and make a playoff push or risk losing him after the season, should he decline his option.
Lugo’s outing Wednesday only makes him a more appealing trade target. But he’s blocking out that talk.
“I started today, we’ve got an off-day tomorrow, and then it’s back to work after that,” he said. “Control what I can control and go about my routine. Go about my business — it’s all I can do.”
Witt sits
Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. wasn’t in the starting lineup Wednesday, one day after his knee buckled during an at-bat.
Witt said he could have played and manager Matt Quatraro chalked it up to soreness.
“He’s had body soreness that he plays through every day, pretty much through the whole year,” Quatraro said. “In Miami, he hit a double to right-center; he was going to slide head first, switched to go feet first, aggravated it a little bit, got a little sore the first night here, and then last night.
“And with the day off tomorrow, it’s a good time to try to get him two days if we can.”
Up next
The Royals are off Thursday, then open a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium on Friday at 7:10 p.m. Michael Wacha will start for the Royals and the game will be broadcast on Apple TV+.
This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 3:58 PM with the headline "Royals flex muscle in crushing Cubs: Three takeaways from series win at Wrigley."
