The struggling Cleveland Guardians have an opportunity to turn their season around as they face the lowly Kansas City Royals in a three-game road series. This series is the first of seven games against the Royals in their final 13 games before the All-Star break.
Despite coming off a four-game split against the top-ranked Tampa Bay Rays, the Royals have been on a downhill slide, losing 18 of their last 23 games. With a record 34 games below .500, they currently hold the second-worst record in the league, only ahead of the Oakland Athletics.
Kansas City’s last series win dates back to mid-May when they took two out of three games against the San Diego Padres. They had an opportunity to secure a series win against the Rays but fell short, managing only four hits and striking out 17 times in a 3-1 loss.
On the other hand, Cleveland is just two games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins in the relatively weak AL Central division. As the only team in the division with a winning record, the Twins were leading the way entering Monday’s games.
The Guardians had a four-game winning streak before losing two out of three games to the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend. In their 10-inning loss on Sunday, they struggled with runners in scoring position, going just 1-for-10, which has been a recurring issue for them this season. They hold the record for the most losses in one-run games in the majors, with a 15-18 record in such games.
In the series opener, Cleveland will start highly regarded prospect Gavin Williams, who will be making his second career start. Williams, the team’s top prospect and ranked 16th overall by MLB Pipeline, was a first-round draft pick in 2021. In his debut against the Athletics, he allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings but received a no-decision.
Additionally, the Guardians will likely have right-hander Cal Quantrill back in the lineup after his stint on the injury list due to shoulder soreness. As Cleveland plans its pitching strategy moving forward, manager Terry Francona mentioned the possibility of a six-man rotation but expressed concerns about the impact on the bullpen.
The Royals will counter with right-hander Brady Singer, who has struggled recently, losing his last three starts with a 5.94 ERA during that stretch. In his most recent outing against the Detroit Tigers, Singer surrendered five runs over seven innings.
Singer has faced Cleveland nine times in his career, holding a 2-1 record with a 4.88 ERA. Jose Ramirez has had success against him, going 7-for-16 with two home runs, while Steven Kwan is 5-for-10 and Myles Straw is 6-for-13. Josh Naylor has a homer but only two hits in 12 at-bats against Singer.
Naylor has been performing well in June, batting .368 with two home runs and 17 RBIs.
Pregame hits the air tonight (Tuesday night) at 6:30 on KTTN AM 1600, FM 98.3 and 92.3.
MLB scoreboard for Monday, June 26, 2023:
Detroit 7, Texas 2
Milwaukee 2, NY Mets 1
LA Angels 2, Chicago White Sox 1
Baltimore 10, Cincinnati 3
Atlanta 4, Minnesota 1
Seattle 8, Washington 4
MLB schedule for Tuesday, June 27, 2023:
San Diego at Pittsburgh – 6:05 PM
Cincinnati at Baltimore – 6:05 PM
San Francisco at Toronto – 6:07 PM
Miami at Boston – 6:10 PM
Milwaukee at NY Mets – 6:10 PM
Minnesota at Atlanta – 6:20 PM
Houston at St. Louis – 6:45 PM
Philadelphia at Chicago Cubs – 7:05 PM
Detroit at Texas – 7:05 PM
LA Dodgers at Colorado – 7:40 PM
Chicago White Sox at LA Angels – 8:38 PM
Washington at Seattle – 8:40 PM
Tampa Bay at Arizona – 8:40 PM
NY Yankees at Oakland – 8:40 PM
