The Royals are headed to Boston for a three-game set that starts Friday night, and Seth Lugo gets the opener against Sonny Gray. The series runs through September 13, with all three games on NESN and Boston lining up what it is treating as its playoff rotation for the matchup.
That makes the first pitch more than a routine September date. The Friday game starts at 7:10 PM ET, Saturday follows at 4:10 PM ET, and Sunday wraps at 1:35 PM ET, giving the Royals three straight looks at a Red Sox staff built around Gray, Ranger Suarez and Payton Tolle.
Lugo’s turn draws the most attention because he was a big part of the Royals’ 2024 breakout, when they finished second in the AL Central and reached the ALDS. But the right-hander is also closing in on his career high ERA, which is part of why this series reads differently now than it would have a year ago. Since July, Lugo has made 17 starts and posted a 6.24 ERA with a 4.98 FIP, even after a quality start against Boston in which he worked 6.0 innings, allowed two runs and struck out five while walking two.
The rest of the series keeps that same contrast in view. Randy Dobnak, who has made 10 starts this season after throwing just 15 MLB innings since the 2021 season ended, gets Saturday against Suarez, fresh off seven scoreless innings with one walk. Dobnak has 43 strikeouts and 18 walks in 63.2 innings, though he was hit for six earned runs in a start on 9/1 against the Marlins. Sunday brings Noah Cameron against Tolle, who struck out 12 Orioles in his most recent outing over 6.0 innings and 91 pitches.
The Royals have gone from second in the AL Central in 2024 to third and out of the playoffs in 2025, and now sit in last place in the AL Central with 82 losses and a couple weeks left in the season. That slide is what gives this trip to Fenway its edge: the club that was in the ALDS two years ago is now trying to keep a difficult year from getting any worse, while Boston uses the series to line up its pitching the way it wants it for the stretch run. The one player who still gives the Royals a different kind of threat is Bobby Witt Jr., who has 18 home runs and 39 stolen bases, with Vinnie Pasquantino adding 11 home runs. Willson Contreras is expected to make a rehab start on Friday, but the main event is already set — Lugo and Gray on Friday night, with Boston’s next two playoff-style arms waiting behind them.
