Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals Set to Clash in crucial Wild Card Series
CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals resume their American League Central rivalry Thursday evening at Progressive Field, with both teams battling for playoff positioning. first pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m., featuring a pitching matchup between Guardians RHP Gavin Williams (10-5, 3.17 ERA) and Royals RHP Stephen Kolek (5-5,3.88 ERA).
The Guardians trail Seattle by 2 1/2 games for the final AL Wild Card spot with 20 games remaining, while the Royals are two games behind the Mariners. Cleveland holds a 5-4 edge in the season series, and leads the overall series 430-377.
Royals hitters Maikel Garcia (.444, 12-for-27 with three home runs and eight RBI) and Bobby Witt Jr. (.303, 10-for-13 with one home run and four RBI) have performed well against Cleveland this season. Guardians’ Gabriel Arias (.393, 11-for-28 with four home runs and eight RBI) and Kyle Manzardo (.333, 8-for-24 with two home runs and seven RBI) have found success against Kansas City pitching in 2024. Williams has faced the royals twice this year, with both outings resulting in no-decisions.
Injuries:
Royals: Seth Lugo (back), jonathan India (left wrist), Steve Cruz (right shoulder), Hunter Harvey (right adductor strain), Cole Ragans (left shoulder), Bailey Falter (left biceps bruise), Alex Marsh (right shoulder), Kris Bubic (left shoulder), James McArthur (right elbow) and Bobby Witt Jr.(back – day to day) are currently sidelined.
Guardians: Nic Enright (right forearm), Lane Thomas (plantar fasciitis), Andrew Walters (right lat), Will Brennan (right elbow), Ben Lively (right elbow), Trevor Stephan (right elbow), John Means (left elbow) and Sam Hentges (left shoulder) are on the injured list.
Following Thursday’s game, the Guardians will host the Chicago white Sox for a three-game series starting Friday.
