Merrifield, Lopez setting table for KC lineup

BALTIMORE -- Offensively, the Royals’ 1-2 punch atop the order has continued to deliver, most recently in the first two games of the four-game set against the Orioles. On Tuesday, leadoff batter Whit Merrifield reached in the third inning on a fielder’s choice. He then stole second and came around to score on a Nicky Lopez single. The stolen base was Merrifield’s team-leading 39th of the season.

“Whit’s done it all season long,” manager Mike Matheny said on Tuesday. “He makes things happen, and [has been] a very smart baserunner for us all season long, and that puts us in a position where a base hit scores him and we start to get a little momentum going the other way.”

In the series opener on Labor Day, the pair produced the tying run in the eighth inning to ignite the Royals’ comeback win. Merrifield roped a leadoff double into right field, then moved to third via Lopez’s sacrifice bunt, which enabled him to score on a blooper from Salvador Perez in the three-hole.

“We’re not preaching small ball as much as we’re preaching, ‘What do you [have] to do right now to get the job done,’” Matheny said on Wednesday. “Nicky’s done a very good job all season long of understanding what that looks like -- [he’s] probably our poster boy. … You go up and you take those big at-bats [with a] man in scoring position with two outs, take your best at-bat, but also don’t be afraid with a man on second base. He’s done a fantastic job, not just sacrificing, but putting down a base hit bunt, putting pressure on the defense, and more often than not, he’s safe at first base. Then we’ve got a chance to have a very big inning.”

Lopez led the American League with 11 sacrifice bunts entering Wednesday -- four more than Cleveland’s Austin Hedges, who ranked No. 2 with seven.

“He’s taken advantage of bunt opportunities,” Matheny said of Lopez. “He’s moving guys over and then he’s getting them in, and that’s not small ball. Those are RBIs and those are a big deal. … The thing that gets overlooked with that is that actually most of them are not sacrifice, he's actually trying to put down a bunt base hit, and he’s been pretty good about trying to go to each side, trying to do his homework ahead of time.”

While Lopez didn’t have a sac bunt on Tuesday, he did hit a single in the first inning to give him a career-high 17-game on-base streak dating to Aug. 21. Lopez is tied with Carlos Santana (May 6-25) for the longest such streak by a Royals hitter this season.

Looking at the season as a whole, it’s clear the middle-infield duo has been grinding and vibing. Merrifield entered Wednesday with 68 RBIs and is slashing .277/.321/.399, which isn’t remarkable, but does show that his production has been solid.

Meanwhile, Lopez entered Wednesday having gone 8-for-20 against the Orioles with a .400/.429/.450 slash line. Lopez also was hitting .381 since the All-Star break (July 13) with runners in scoring position -- including 19 RBIs.

Those might not be the best numbers in MLB, but they’re impressive nonetheless. And that’s not even considering the duo’s defensive prowess.

Merrifield ranks first among AL second basemen in putouts (228), assists (316), defensive runs saved (13) and double plays (83). On the other side of second, Lopez ranks No. 1 in fielding percentage and No. 2 in outs above average (13) among AL shortstops.

“We just want to fall in love with the process,” Matheny said regarding the team’s own brand of “good baseball.” “The extra effort that’s put into our defensive work, knowing where to throw the ball, all the details of doing little things right -- it’s rewarding when you see it all come together.”