When I was a kid, Cleveland’s baseball team was a joke—you may have seen them comedically portrayed in the movie Major League. But they quickly became a juggernaut in the 1990s, and since then have been consistent winners, although they still lack a championship in the last seven decades. They were placed in the same division as the Royals in the 1990s and have been a tough team to beat ever since. The Royals have won the season series against the Guardians just six times (2000, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2015, and 2024) in full seasons since both teams joined the Central Division in 1994.
Cleveland Guardians (18-17) vs. Kansas City Royals (15-19) at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Guardians: 4.17 runs scored/game (22nd in MLB), 4.26 runs allowed/game (12th)
Royals: 4.12 runs scored/game (24th), 4.62 runs allowed/game (18th)
This year’s Guardians team features two promising rookies. Chase DeLauter made the team out of spring training and leads all American League rookies in wRC+ at 162. He tapered off after a hot start but has gone on a tear lately, hitting .556 (15-for-27) with three doubles and a home run in his last eight games. Travis Bazzana was the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 and was called up a week ago after hitting .287/.422/.511 with two home runs and eight steals in 24 games in the minors.
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José Ramírez is off to a slow start but is tied for the league lead with 13 steals. He is a career 6-for-13 (.462) hitter with five walks against Daniel Lynch IV. Kyle Manzardo is a career .321/.433/.607 hitter with three home runs in 19 games against the Royals. Steven Kwan has struggled this year, hitting .195/.261/.220 against lefties.
Tanner Bibee has given up just three runs in 17 innings over his last three starts. Bobby Witt Jr. is a career .364/.481/.636 hitter with two home runs in 27 plate appearances against him, but Salvador Perez is 0-for-19 against him in their matchups. Bibee’s four-seamer has been very hittable this year, with opponents hitting .394 against it, but just .053 against his curveball.
Gavin Williams is tied for the American League lead with five wins already. He led the league with 83 walks last year. He has a 2.28 ERA in nine career starts against the Royals. Bobby Witt Jr. is just 3-for-24 (.125) against him.
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Joey Cantillo gave up just three earned runs (plus two unearned) in 15 innings against the Royals last year. He had a 3.81 ERA in 21 relief appearances in 2025, but a 2.96 ERA in 13 starts. He has a 43.8 percent whiff rate on his changeup and has induced a 45.7 percent groundball rate.
Slade Cecconi has given up 16 runs in 16 innings over his last three starts. He allowed just one hit in eight shutout innings in his only career start against the Royals last year. The right-hander had a reverse split last year, and right-handed hitters are batting .324/.327/.606 against him this year.
The Guardians’ bullpen has regressed, posting a 4.30 ERA, but the top arms are still solid aside from Hunter Gaddis. He had a 2.29 ERA over the last two seasons but missed the first two weeks with a forearm injury and has struggled since returning. Lefties are hitting just .118 against Tim Herrin this year, but righties have a .440 on-base percentage against him. Cade Smith has converted 8 of 10 save opportunities this season.
The Guardians had lost three consecutive series before taking two of three against the A’s in Sacramento over the weekend, including a 14-run outburst on Saturday. They are similar to the Royals: a below-average lineup carried by a few big bats, with good starting pitching and a solid closer. The Royals are starting to climb out of their hole, and a strong homestand against Central Division opponents could put them right back in the race.
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