It’s time to turn the page from a weird and gruelling four-game series in Tampa Bay.

After escaping the Sunshine State with a 2-2 split versus the Rays, thankfully, it’s back to a major-league ballpark for the Toronto Blue Jays as they begin their final road series of 2025 against the Kansas City Royals. Only nine games remain in the regular season, starting with Friday’s opener at Kauffman Stadium — a site where this scuffling offence hopes to get back on track.

Scoring runs came at a premium in the previous series against Tampa Bay, with Toronto’s lineup mustering all but three runs outside of Tuesday’s 6-5 victory. Despite being shut out for the first time since June 13 during Thursday’s finale, this upcoming matchup could act as a get-right series for an offence facing Kansas City’s struggling pitching staff.

In most cases, there’s added importance around how your opponent has fared lately, rather than the overall makeup of their team — and for the Royals, it’s been a month to forget for their hurlers.

The Blue Jays are seemingly rolling into town at an opportune time, as Kansas City’s pitching staff sits 23rd in ERA (4.86), 24th in FIP (4.55) and 28th in xERA (5.16) this month. Both the rotation and the bullpen have been at fault here, with each contributing to these recent woes and potentially creating the perfect storm for Toronto’s lineup.

They’ll face right-hander Michael Lorenzen on Friday, who’s been at the forefront of a Royals rotation that ranks 26th in starters’ ERA (5.24) in September. He made his most recent appearance out of the bullpen — working in a piggyback role with Cole Ragans, who’ll miss this series — but hasn’t fared well as a starter lately, sporting a 7.23 ERA and 4.79 FIP over his last five starts.

There’s the obvious “trap game” caveat here, with someone who’s been struggling as much as Lorenzen in recent weeks. At the same time, though, it’s an opportunity for this offence to have a business-like approach, taking full advantage of the hand they’ve been dealt.

Setting the tone early with a series-opening win would also have its advantages.

First and foremost, it’d put Toronto in a position to clinch a playoff spot, needing losses from two of the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox or Cleveland Guardians. Beyond that, it’d also likely alleviate some of the pressure heading into the final two contests in Kansas City, coming against Noah Cameron — one of the Royals’ top young arms, who’s logged seven innings in each of his last two starts — and Michael Wacha — who, despite coming off his worst start of the season, limited the Blue Jays to just one run over eight innings last month.

This offence should be able to manufacture another late comeback or two off Kansas City’s bullpen if needed, though, considering it’s been worth minus-0.4 fWAR since the start of September — tied with Detroit for 28th in the majors, ahead of only the Colorado Rockies (-0.5).

Finishing out these final nine games without Bo Bichette won’t be easy. He’s been one of the club’s best run producers all year. However, they need others to step up. It all starts with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who’s only recorded one extra-base hit in 11 games without Bichette. But he can’t carry the team alone.

The likes of George Springer — Toronto’s resurgent MVP this season — and Ernie Clement have been doing their part, as have Davis Schneider and Addison Barger — all of whom own a 120 wRC+ (100 league average) or better since Sep. 7. But they need more from Alejandro Kirk, who’s slashing .185/.226/.185 with a 13 wRC+ over his last nine games, and Daulton Varsho, who hasn’t homered since hitting three straight in Cincinnati earlier this month.

With October lurking around the corner, the Blue Jays need their lineup to start rolling again, and this late-September series could provide the opportunity for just that.