The Royals have a ten-game road trip against 2024 playoff teams.
The Royals will again face the division rival Cleveland Guardians, the team that took two of three in the opening series in Kansas City. This time they’ll face off in Cleveland, where the Royals took four of six last year.
Kansas City Royals (7-6) vs. Cleveland Guardians (6-6) at Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
Royals: 3.46 runs scored/game (22nd in MLB), 3.46 runs allowed/game (4th)
Guardians: 3.67 runs scored/game (19th), 4.50 runs allowed/game (18th)
The Guardians got off to a slow start, dropping six of their first nine games this year, but a sweep of the Chicago White Sox will cure any slump. The offense has struggled overall however, score three or fewer runs in 7 of their 12 contests.
Unsurprisingly, José Ramírez is off to a hot start, batting .250/.364/.639 with four home runs already. Kyle Manzardo, who terrorized the Royals on Opening Day, also has four home runs – three of them off lefties. Steven Kwan has the ninth-highest batting average in baseball at .356. The Guardians have struggled to get any production out of their other two outfielders however, with Lane Thomas, Nolan Jones, and Jhonkensy Noel all off to very slow starts under the Mendoza Line, with Thomas currently nursing a wrist injury.
Switch-hitter Carlos Santana has historically hit lefties better than righties, although he hasn’t hit for power against them this year so far. Cleveland is hitting just .184/.317/.299 in home games this year. They’re hitting just .160/.278/.227 with runners in scoring position, the second-worst OPS in baseball.
The Guardians have been caught stealing 5 of 11 times this season, tied with the Reds for the worst success rate in baseball.
All statistics from 2024
Tanner Bibee was scratched from Opening Day due to a stomach ailment but returned on Sunday to pitch 5 2⁄3 innings of shutout ball against the Royals, allowing just two hits. He was hit harder in his next start, giving up seven runs in four innings against the Angels, including four home runs. Bibee was ninth in the American League in strikeouts last year and finished 20th among all starting pitchers in fWAR. Opponents hit just .141 against his cutter last year with a 36.8 percent whiff rate.
The Royals got to Luis L. Ortiz for seven runs in less than five innings in the opening series. He gave Cleveland a quality start in his next start against the Angels, lowering his ERA to 8.44. Last year he split time as a starter and reliever, with a low strikeout rate as a starter. The 26-year-old relies a lot on his slider, which had a 31 percent whiff rate last year.
Ben Lively, who briefly spent time in the Royals organization, got to the spot Opening Day start, giving up three runs in five innings. He tossed five shutout innings against the White Sox earlier this week and has a 4.40 ERA in three starts. Lively has trouble breaking 90 mph on the radar gun, with opponents hitting .289 against his fastball last year. He also relies on a sinker, sweeper, curve, slider, and change, with the sweeper generating the most whiffs.
All statistics from 2024
The terrific Cleveland bullpen from last year has carried over to this year so far, despite losing some personnel. Their 2.38 bullpen ERA is fifth-lowest in baseball and they have the sixth-highest strikeout rate. Emmanuel Clase blew a save against the Royals on Opening Day, and he’s been a bit shaky to start the year, wth opponents hitting .370 against him so far. Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis have each appeared in six games without allowing a run so far. Old friend Jakob Junis is thriving in the Guardians bullpen with seven scoreless outings and seven strikeouts with just four hits allowed.
All statistics from 2024
The Royals are riding high after a successful homestand, but begin a ten-game road trip against teams that were in last year’s post-season, including trips to visit the Yankees and Tigers. The Royals’ offense isn’t exactly clicking on all cylinders, but neither is the Guardians offense. Kansas City would love to keep things rolling on the road and steal a series from a division rival.