Cleveland Guardians’ slump continues as Royals creep closer to the AL Central lead
Although they didn’t play Thursday, it was still a good day for the Royals.
The Cleveland Guardians lost 6-0 to the Yankees in the Bronx on Thursday and finished a road trip with a 1-5 record. The Guardians, who had a nine-game lead in the American League Central on June 25, have seen that advantage shaved to just two games over the Royals and Twins.
“I think it’s just been a tough week,” manager Stephen Vogt told reporters after the game. “We had a tough road trip offensively. We ran into tough pitching and also didn’t have great at-bats at the same time. Every team is going to go through a little stretch like this and for us, it was a tough week.
“We’ve got to regroup and get back to being ourselves. Get back to having really good at-bats because we’re a really good offensive team. We’ve shown that the whole year and one week isn’t going to define this offense.”
Cleveland scored one or zero runs in four of those games on the trip.
The Athletic’s Zack Meisel broke down just how badly the Guardians struggled.
That six-run frame came in the 12th inning Tuesday as Cleveland beat the Yankees 9-5.
The Royals, who have a 71-56 record, jumped back into the Central race thanks to their strong play and the Guardians’ struggles.
Cleveland has a 15-17 record since the All-Star Game, while the Royals are 19-11 in that span. In the second half of the season, the Royals have scored the third-most runs in baseball (176), while the Guardians are 27th (119).
The Royals are fourth in slugging percentage (.466) since the break. Cleveland is 27th (.357) in that category. Royals pitchers also have a better ERA (3.80 to 3.99) and have allowed fewer home runs (31 to 43) than Cleveland in the second half.
So when the Guardians look in the rearview mirror, the Royals are getting closer.
There are 35 games remaining in the regular season for the Guardians, Royals and Twins, and it’s shaping up to be a great race for the division crown. The Royals will play Cleveland seven times and face the Twins in a three-game series.
The Guardians and Twins will play four times before the regular season ends.
Two other races
The American League Central race isn’t the only one for Royals fans to watch. The Royals also have a solid 3 1/2-game lead in the Wild Card race. They are tied with the Twins for the second of the three wild-card spots.
Baltimore is the top wild card at this time, two games ahead of the Royals, whose magic number for clinching a playoff spot is 33.
Although they’re not leading the division, the Royals are also in the running for the best record in the American League. The Yankees have the league’s top record at 75-53, and the Royals are 3 1/2 games back.
