By Jayson Henderson

The Kansas City Royals bullpen shut down the Washington Nationals in a 7-4 victory on Thursday at Nationals Park. The win completed a series sweep and extended the Royals’ winning streak to three games. Kansas City (85-74) remains tied with the Detroit Tigers in the American League Wild Card race, with the Minnesota Twins trailing by two games.

Starter Michael Wacha allowed four runs (three earned) over five innings before the bullpen took over. Angel Zerpa, John Schreiber, Kris Bubic, and Lucas Erceg combined for four scoreless innings, with Erceg securing his 14th save.

The Royals broke a 4-4 tie in the ninth inning when Adam Frazier hit a pinch-hit, two-run single after MJ Melendez and Michael Massey reached base. Kansas City now heads to Atlanta, with a chance to clinch a playoff spot depending on the Twins’ result in their next game.