The Royals are heading back to Kauffman Stadium with a winning road trip in hand, but Sunday’s finale in Cleveland left a sting.
Kansas City wrapped up a six-game swing through Toronto and Cleveland by taking both road series, yet the trip ended with an 11-1 loss to the Guardians at the hands of a lineup that finally woke up in a big way.
Cleveland had dropped the first two games of the series, then flipped the script behind a barrage from its biggest bats. Jose Ramirez and Nathaniel Lowe each launched two-run homers off Royals starter Seth Lugo, while Joe Adell drove in two with a single and Chase DeLauter piled up four hits. The Guardians’ top four hitters - Steven Kwan, DeLauter, Ramirez and Adell - combined to go 11-for-12.
Lugo was hit hard and didn’t have his usual feel, giving up nine runs in 3 ⅔ innings. Cleveland did most of its damage against his curveball, which kept catching too much of the plate.
Ramirez punished one of those mistakes in the fourth, hammering a 79.4 mph curveball just over the right-field wall for his 11th homer. According to Baseball Savant, the Guardians produced four batted ball events and three hits against Lugo’s curveball.
It’s been a rough August for Lugo. In six starts this month, he’s allowed 28 earned runs in 30 ⅓ innings, though Kansas City’s offense had been able to cover for him before Sunday.
This time, the Royals couldn’t answer.
They did strike first when Salvador Perez knocked in a run with an RBI single off Guardians left-hander Parker Messick, but that lead didn’t last long. Messick settled in after an elevated pitch count early and still worked six innings to earn the win.
Messick improved to 11-8 and threw 61 of his 105 pitches for strikes as Cleveland kept its grip on the final wild-card spot in the American League race.
The Guardians are now 69-68 and hold a 1 ½-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays. The Royals sit 7 ½ games back in the wild-card standings.
Kansas City is off Monday before opening a three-game series against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night.
In Other News...
Royals Make A Surprising Bullpen Move That Changes One Relievers Future
The Royals are making an unusual bullpen decision with right-hander John Schreiber, placing him on waivers even though he remains eligible to pitch for Kansas City in the meantime. The move gives the rest of the league 48 hours to decide whether to claim him, and it adds another layer of uncertainty to a bullpen that has already had to account for Schreibers uneven production this season after he came over in a trade from the Red Sox.
If he clears waivers, Schreiber would be expected to stay with the Royals through the 2026 season before potentially reaching free agency in the offseason. For Kansas City, it is a quietly significant roster move because it opens the door to another club while still leaving the option to keep him around, and it suggests the team is at least exploring what his future looks like beyond the immediate bullpen mix. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Winning Streak Cant Hide One Offseason Problem Anymore
The Royals have played their way into a much better spot over the last couple of weeks, winning 13 of 15 and giving themselves a little breathing room in the standings. Even with that surge, one issue has stayed stubbornly in place: the bullpen. Kansas City still sits 29th in relief ERA, and the contrast between the clubs recent results and its late-inning numbers is hard to ignore.
Alex Langes season has been part of the problem, with a 5.81 ERA and 1.50 WHIP, and he was the only Kansas City reliever to allow runs in the most recent game. The broader concern is bigger than one outing, though. The Royals have already taken some swings on the bullpen through free agency and trades, and the returns have been mixed enough that the offseason may have to bring a more meaningful answer. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Lineup Flipped A Shaky Night Fast And The Guardians Cracked
Daniel Lynch IV gave the Royals a short but survivable start, working 3.1 innings while allowing three hits, two walks and striking out three. From there, the bullpen settled things down and kept Cleveland off the bases until the ninth, giving Kansas City enough runway to let its offense take over after a shaky opening.
The lineup answered with a tie in the fifth and then strung together the kind of inning that can flip a game in a hurry in the sixth, with Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Nick Loftin all contributing key hits. The Guardians also helped the cause with defensive mistakes, and by the time the dust settled, the Royals had turned an uneasy night into a lead they could protect. [Read more 🡒]