Lucas Giolito gave up an early first-inning home run that sadly set the tone in the game. Wait didn’t I say that yesterday? Well, at least we got to see James Karinchak.
The Royals swept our Cleveland Guardians for the first time since 2009.
On a positive note, Josh Naylor continues to swing a hot bat coming off the injury that held him out for nearly 1 month. Naylor is batting .400 over his last 7 games!
Nelson Velázquez continued his impressive late-season streak for the Kansas City team by launching a three-run home run. Angel Zerpa stepped up to stifle Cleveland’s offense, taking over for Zack Greinke, and the Royals secured a 6-2 victory on Wednesday, completing a three-game sweep of the Guardians.
Zerpa (3-3) sealed the deal in the fourth inning and only allowed three hits for the remainder of the game. His performance featured four strikeouts and no walks, contributing to the Royals’ bullpen dominance, which has played a pivotal role in the team’s last eight wins.
Velázquez has been on fire, hitting 12 home runs in just 33 games since joining Kansas City. Impressively, 11 of those homers were launched at Kauffman Stadium, known for its challenging dimensions, including deep alleys and a 410-foot center field wall.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Edward Oliveras also chipped in with runs batted in, propelling the Royals to their final road trip with six wins in their last seven games. This includes their first sweep of the Guardians since April 12-14, 2009.
Lucas Giolito (8-14) had a tough outing, surrendering four runs (three earned) on seven hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings. This followed his outstanding performance of seven innings of two-hit ball against Texas last weekend.
Greinke, the former ace of the Royals, faced difficulties loosening up after the first inning and received a check from trainer Nick Kenney. Despite this, he continued until the fourth inning, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out five batters. Unfortunately, he fell short of snapping his 11-game losing streak, preventing him from securing his first win since May. Nevertheless, it was a memorable afternoon for Greinke at Kauffman Stadium as he recorded his 1,094th strikeout for Kansas City, moving past Bret Saberhagen for fourth place in franchise history.
Velázquez’s three-run homer, which followed errors by Cleveland in their first two defensive plays, gave the Royals an early 3-0 lead. The Guardians managed to score two runs in the fourth inning against Greinke, but Witt drove in a run in the bottom half to extend the Royals’ lead to 4-2. Kansas City added additional runs in the seventh and eighth innings to secure the victory.
Triston McKenzie (elbow) could return to the rotation Sunday against Baltimore. He allowed two homers while throwing 62 pitches in his second rehab start with Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday night.
Up Next
The Guardians have yet to formally announce a starter for Thursday but it is expected to be Hunter Gaddis when they begin a four-game series against the Orioles.
Thursday 9/21 7:15 PM EST – Game 1 of 4 game series vs. Orioles
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