Tag Archives: Kansas City Royals

Gut check time for Guardians

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The Cleveland Guardians hold a slim lead in the American League Central and will need all hands on deck to win the division.

Fresh off a series win against the Kansas City Royals, the Cleveland Guardians enter Thursday with a 2 game lead over the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox. 27 games remain on their schedule including plenty of matchups against their division foes.

Beginning this weekend is the first of eight remaining matchups with Minnesota, an immediate chance for the Guardians to build their lead over the Twins. Cleveland will send Cal Quantrill, Triston McKenzie, and Shane Bieber to the mound in an effort to take the series and hopefully sweep the Twins at Target Field. This trio gives the Guardians the best chance they have to win some very crucial games as the season comes to a close.

As important as this weekend is, the most stretch from September 15th to 22nd will play the biggest factor in who wins the division. Cleveland will play the White Sox four times (once at home) and the Twins five times, including a doubleheader on the 17th. The twin bill could prove to be a challenge for the Guardians as they are down two regular starters in their rotation. Cleveland is already having to piece together their pitching staff outside the above trio making a doubleheader the least attractive matchup at this time.

The Guardians have lost seven of their last 10 games and need to rebound fast. Chicago and Minnesota have made up some ground during this stretch, but Cleveland has managed to hold on to the division lead. The time is now for the Guardians to muster up all they have got and take a division title that most did not expect them to win at the beginning of the year. Going through a gauntlet of division foes and coming out on top would be a fitting end for this season. It is not a question of talent or ability, but rather if they are able to put it together at the right time. This team has shown resilience throughout the season and it is times like this that it can shine through and result in an impressive achievement.

Guardians complete sweep of Royals, win 4-0

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The Cleveland Guardians were able to take care of business with a 4-0 win Wednesday in what was the final game of their series and brief home stand. This victory completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with wins of 7-3 and 8-3.

While not a blowout or seemingly dominant, the Guardians were able to keep the Royals off the scoreboard despite multiple scoring chances. Cleveland’s pitching staff was able to limit Kansas City to a 1-6 line with runners in scoring position, but with no runs allowed. This is in addition to stranding nine Royals baserunners over the course of the game.

Konnor Pilkington did find himself walking a tightrope at times, allowing five hits and two walks. Pilkington did find himself in a bases loaded situation with one out in the 4th inning, but was able to get a strikeout and groundout to dance out of trouble. It was a career-high 5 innings pitched and eight strikeouts for Pilkington. Eli Morgan would follow Pilkington allowing two hits and striking out four in 2 innings.

Offensively the Guardians got some help from the top of the order. Steven Kwan and Amed Rosario each had two hits. Rosario was able to get Cleveland on the board with a 3rd inning RBI single.

From the bottom third of the order it was Andres Gimenez going 2-4 with a double and his RBI single in the 4th allowing Owen Miller to come around to score.

Jose Ramirez did not collect a hit, but was still able to drive in a run with a RBI groundout in the 5th inning.

Another member of the bottom third, Richie Palacios, also had two hits on the afternoon. Palacios’ RBI double in the 8th allowed Gimenez to score Cleveland’s fourth and final run.

What’s next?

The Guardians have an off day Thursday before heading to Camden Yards Friday for a three game set against the Orioles. Cleveland will head into play sitting at 22-24 against a 21-30 Baltimore squad. There is a very real chance for the Guardys to get above .500 with a sweep of the Orioles. This is a great opportunity for a young team to stack successive series on top of each other for consecutive series wins for the first time this season.

Guardians manage 12 hits in win over Royals

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It was a hit parade down on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario as the Guardians tallied 12 hits in their 8-3 win over the Royals.

Amed Rosario, Ernie Clement, Andres Gimenez, and Oscar Gonzalez each collected two hits in the contest. Rosario would double and triple while Gonzalez managed another double. Gonzalez (2), Gimenez, and Clement would each drive in runs.

Austin Hedges may have had just one hit, but he made it count. Hedgey hit a three-run shot in the 3rd to increase the Guardians lead at the time to four. Owen Miller did manage a hit in four at-bats in addition to driving in a run on a groundout.

The truly interesting part of the Guardians performance is that Jose Ramirez had one hit in two at-bats. This is due to Kansas City intentionally walking Ramirez in his first two plate appearances in addition to a traditional walk later in the game. Considering that Ramirez is the current American League Player of the Week it is hard to question their thought process. Make any non-Ramirez player beat them, fortunately for the Guardians it worked out in their favor.

On the mound

Taking the mound for the Guardians was Cal Quantrill. Quantrill would allow three runs in 6.1 innings on six hits while striking out five. This was the third straight game which saw Quantrill pitch at least 6 innings while allowing three runs or less.

Sam Hentges would record the final two outs of the 7th, striking out one and allowing just one hit.

Enyel De Los Santos and Bryan Shaw would not allow a hit during the 8th and 9th innings with the latter walking two.

What’s next?

A potential series sweep awaits the Guardians as their three game set with the Royals wraps up Wednesday afternoon. A win in the series finale would bring Cleveland within two games of .500 and set them up nicely to eclipse it with their upcoming three game set in Baltimore.

Ramirez, Gimenez homer in Guardians win

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After a disappointing series in Detroit, the Cleveland Guardians came home to take on the lowly Kansas City Royals. Facing this opponent at home was what the Guardians needed as they came away with a 7-3 win.

Home runs from Jose Ramirez and Andres Gimenez drove in five of Cleveland’s seven runs. Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the 3rd to break a 1-1 tie. Gimenez broke a 3-3 tie in the 5th with a three-run shot.

Zach Plesac was the Guardians starting pitcher and had a bounce back performance on the mound. Plesac allowed one run on hits and a walk while striking out five in 6 innings. This is the polar opposite of his last outing which saw Plesac surrender seven runs on nine hits in just 4.2 innings.

Eli Morgan, Trevor Stephan, Nick Sandlin, and Emmanuel Clase. Morgan and Clase were spectacular as they combined for four strikeouts while the latter allowed one hit. Stephan failed to record an out while allowing two runs on three hits. Sandlin did not allow a hit or run, but walked three batters.

Other Guardians of note

Oscar Gonzalez keeps chugging along with another 2-4 day. Gonzalez is currently hitting .438 in four games this season.

Steven Kwan was 1-3 with his second triple of the season. Kwan’s steal of second in the 2nd was his second stolen base of the year.

What’s next?

The series at home continues as the Guardians look to secure a win before the final game of the series. Cleveland’s starter is Cal Quantrill while Kansas City will start Daniel Lynch.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 P.M.

Guarding The Corner Ep. 12 – Rocked in Detroit

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Guarding The Corner Episode 12 – Rocked in Detroit: James and Bryan discuss the Guardians dropping two of three to Detroit, the upcoming series with Kansas City, and trivia.

Guarding The Corner Ep. 12 – Rocked In Detroit by This Is Believeland

Guarding The Corner Episode 2 Kwantum Realm

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Guarding The Corner Episode 2 Kwantum Realm: James and Bryan discuss the series split with Kansas City, Steven Kwan, primetime baseball, and the two game series in Cincy.

Guarding The Corner Episode 2 – Kwantum Realm by This Is Believeland

Guardians must put Opening Day loss behind them

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Cleveland’s 3-1 Opening Day loss in Kansas City to the Royals was disappointing, yet expected, but the Guardians must put that behind them. There are three more games to play with Cleveland holding decisive advantages in the pitching matchups. The Guardians will trot out Zach Plesac, Cal Quantrill, and Aaron Civale while Kansas City will feature Brad Keller, Kris Bubic, and Carlos Hernandez.

Like the first game, this will come down to hitting and whether or not the bottom of the lineup can perform. Outside of Steven Kwan and Andres Gimenez, the five through nine spots in the order were hitless (0-11). The only player who reached base besides Kwan and Gimenez was Owen Miller reaching base via walk after pinch hitting for an 0-2 Bobby Bradley.

With Keller’s 5.39 ERA and 1.661 WHIP last season, that should provide a welcome matchup for Cleveland’s bats. Bubic finished with a 4.43 ERA and 1.385 WHIP while Hernandez compiled a 3.68 ERA and 1.284 WHIP mostly in a relief role.

It is important to focus on the next three games and hope for at least a split if not winning just one game. A series sweep is simply not acceptable at this point in time.

Post-game transaction

The Guardians shipped Bradley Zimmer out of town following the first game in exchange for relief pitcher Anthony Castro. Cleveland has decided that Kwan and Myles Straw have earned regular spots in their starting lineup with Oscar Mercado being their late-inning defensive replacement over Zimmer. Clearing up some of the clutter in the outfield should allow other future decisions be made.

As far as Castro is concerned, he could be an important piece early on for Cleveland as the short spring has impacted pitch counts for their staff. Triston McKenzie was used in a piggy back start role, allowing two runs over three innings. Having flexibility and being able to keep their primary relief arms fresh will be crucial early on. Castro pitched 24.2 innings in 25 games last season with Toronto.

Clock is ticking for Bradley

Like it or not the pressure is mounting for Bobby Bradley to perform. The Guardians have already shown they are finally able to move from players who are not playing at an acceptable level with the Zimmer deal. Bradley struck out 99 times in 245 at-bats last season, a not too surprising result. The 26-year old first baseman will always be a strikeout machine, it is whether or not he is able to do enough when he puts the ball in play. Considering his .202/.285/.428 slash line in 90 major league games and struggling every further in the minors slashing just .183/.263/.452 with 39 strikeouts in 29 games, it appears unlikely that he will become the contributor that some hoped he would be.

Make sure to check out the Guarding The Corner podcast for series recaps and previews, breaking down news as it comes, and more.

Cleveland defeats Royals in series finale

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The Cleveland Baseball Club avoided the three-game sweep in Kansas City by coming away with a 6-1 victory Thursday night.

It took a few tries, but the Cleveland Baseball Club managed to get a win over the Kansas City Royals in their final trip to Kauffman Stadium this season. Even though Cleveland was outhit 10-9, they managed to have three of their four hits with runners in scoring position drive in runs, while only one of Kansas City’s three hits did the same.

Shane Bieber made his final appearance of the season, allowing the one run on four hits with one strikeout in 3 innings. Logan Allen would also allow four hits in 3 innings, but no runs came across to score during his time on the mound. Sam Hentges, Anthony Gose, and Emmanuel Clase each pitched a scoreless inning in relief.

Harold Ramirez and Bradley Zimmer each drove in two runs to lead the Cleveland scoring effort. Ramirez would single twice while Zimmer doubled home a run and drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. Oscar Mercado also drove in a run with a double.

Cleveland will head to Texas for their final three games of the season as they still have a chance to finish .500 on the year. 

Cleveland hammered by Royals 10-5

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The Cleveland Baseball Club lost their second straight game in Kansas City, which will keep them being above .500 for the first time since 2012.

There were a couple of firsts that occurred in the Cleveland Baseball Club’s 10-5 loss in Kansas City Wednesday night. It was the first career loss against the Royals for Cleveland pitcher Zach Plesac. Additionally, it was the 81st loss of the season for Cleveland which will prevent the team from being above .500 for the first time in almost a decade.

Plesac allowed five runs on seven hits with three walks while striking out two. Three of those runs came on the major league leading 48th home run of the season from Royals catcher Salvador Perez in the bottom of the 1st. 

Nick Wittgren would come in the 7th and after recording two outs in the firs three batters, Kansas City would three runs in the inning before hitting into the final out of the inning. 

Justin Garza did not fair any better as he allowed two runs in the 8th. It was a RBI double for Hanser Alberto and RBI single for Cam Gallagher. Gallagher came in for Perez after leaving with an injury. 

There is only one game left in Kanas City before traveling to Texas to wrap up the season. After that the Guardians era in Cleveland will be waiting to begin.