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Cleveland Guardians at Kansas City Royals

By JR·2 min read
Cleveland GuardiansCLE(84-76)
Kansas City RoyalsKC(68-92)
AT
6:10 PM CT

TLDR: Cleveland has 2 games left and a 1-game lead over the White Sox in the AL Central. A 68-92 Royals team stands in the way, and it just gave away the series opener by walking in runs.

SAT SEP 26, 6:10 PM
Spread
WIN
Total
Guardians
(84-76)
WWLWW
Royals
(68-92)
LLWLL

The AL Central-leading Guardians, 1 game up on the White Sox with 2 games left, face a 68-92 Royals team whose bullpen just walked in the series opener. Michael Wacha has the clear edge over a struggling Tanner Bibee on the mound, so the game probably turns on whether Cleveland's quiet offense can hold on until Kansas City has to go to its thin relief corps.

Guardians
  • 1-game AL Central lead, 2 games left
  • Scored 12 in the series opener
  • 4-1 in the last 5
  • Bibee allowed 12 hits, 6 ER last start
  • Offense scored 1 run in 3 of last 5
  • Holderman and Hoskins on IL
Royals
  • Wacha 3.33 ERA, All-Star season
  • Wacha passed his career high in innings this month
  • Salvador Perez homered in the opener
  • Pen walked 6 in the opener's 9th
  • Estevez, Mears, Way out; Kimbrel, Cruz away
  • 1-4 in the last 5

Tanner Bibee (6-15, 4.35) gets the ball against Michael Wacha (9-9, 3.33) at 6:10 PM CT, and that is not the pitching matchup a division leader wants this late. Bibee's last start was ugly: 12 hits and 6 earned runs against the Athletics, and he didn't get through 5 innings. Wacha has been the steadiest thing in Kansas City all year. He made the All-Star team and passed his career high in innings this month, getting there with 6 scoreless innings against Arizona.

Tanner Bibee
Tanner Bibee
(6-15)·4.35 ERA
Sep 19 vs Athletics
ND
4.2IP
6ER
2K
0BB
95P
09/26 Lineup
Michael Wacha
Michael Wacha
(9-9)·3.33 ERA
Sep 20 @ Pirates
ND
5.2IP
2ER
5K
4BB
113P
09/26 Lineup

The Royals only seem to have a starting rotation. Their injury list is basically a bullpen depth chart: Carlos Estevez and Nick Mears are out after season-ending shoulder surgeries, Beck Way is shut down, Craig Kimbrel is on bereavement and Steven Cruz is on paternity leave. Cleveland is missing reliever Colin Holderman and first baseman Rhys Hoskins, but that's close to a full team compared to what Kansas City is running out. The board has the Guardians as road favorites, which makes sense given one team is playing for a banner and the other is playing out the string.

The series opener showed exactly what happens after Wacha leaves. It was 7-7 in the 8th after rookie Carter Jensen tied it with his second homer of the night. He finished with 5 RBIs. In the 9th, Nate Pearson and Nolan Hoffman walked 6 Guardians, including 3 straight with the bases loaded to force in runs, and Angel Martínez added a 2-run double. The final was 12-9, and Cleveland's lead stayed at 1 game over Chicago.

Cleveland Guardians
(84-76)
09/25W@Royals12-9
09/24W@Red Sox1-0
09/23L@Red Sox0-1
09/22W@Red Sox3-2
09/20WvsAthletics1-0
Kansas City Royals
(68-92)
09/25LvsGuardians9-12
09/24LvsWhite Sox1-9
09/23WvsWhite Sox5-4
09/22LvsWhite Sox11-14
09/20L@Pirates3-4

That 12-run game was nothing like how Cleveland had been winning. Before the opener, the Guardians beat the Athletics 1-0, took 2 of 3 in Boston by scores of 3-2, 0-1 and 1-0, and basically lived on pitching and 1 big swing. The Royals have lost 2 straight and are 1-4 in their last 5. They also just gave up 14 and 9 runs in two of their White Sox games, so it's hard to say who's getting the rest of the bullpen outs.

Cleveland Guardians
(2)
  • 10-Day-ILRhys Hoskins (1B) — Hoskins (back) has begun a swing progression program.09/12
  • 15-Day-ILColin Holderman (RP) — Holderman received an injection in his right wrist Saturday.09/23
Kansas City Royals
(12)
  • PaternitySteven Cruz (RP) — The Royals placed Cruz on the paternity leave list Thursday.09/24
  • bereavementCraig Kimbrel (RP) — Kimbrel (1-4) took the loss Monday against the Diamondbacks, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out one over one inning.09/19
  • 15-Day-ILBeck Way (RP) — Way (back/shoulder) has been shut down for the remainder of the season, per MLB.com.09/02
  • 60-Day-ILConnor Seabold (RP) — Seabold (lat) struck out one across a perfect inning with Triple-A Omaha on Thursday.09/18
  • 60-Day-ILJames McArthur (RP) — McArthur (elbow) allowed three runs on three hits and no walks with one strikeout across two-thirds of an inning in a rehab appearance with Double-A Northwest Arkansas on Wednesday.09/10
  • 60-Day-ILCarlos Estevez (RP) — Estevez will undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder next week.09/01
  • 60-Day-ILNick Mears (RP) — Mears (shoulder) was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome Saturday and will undergo season-ending surgery.08/26
  • 60-Day-ILLuinder Avila (SP) — Avila is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday.08/06
  • 60-Day-ILStephen Kolek (SP) — Kolek is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday.08/04
  • 60-Day-ILCole Ragans (SP) — Ragans underwent UCL repair surgery on his left elbow Wednesday.07/02
  • 60-Day-ILJonathan India (2B) — No.06/04
  • 60-Day-ILAlec Marsh (SP) — The Royals placed Marsh (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08

Here's what decides it: if Wacha pitches 6 good innings, the pressure moves onto a Guardians offense that has scored 1 run in 3 of its last 5 games. If Bibee pitches like he did against Oakland, Cleveland's September lead will depend on a Royals bullpen that has already shown it can't throw strikes.

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