The Cleveland Guardians will be aiming to move over .500 for the first time since April 19 when they face the Kansas City Royals in the third game of their four-game home series on Saturday. After winning five of their last seven games, including a 6-1 victory in the series opener and a 3-0 win in the second game against the Royals, the Guardians have evened their record at 44-44. This recent success has allowed them to close in on the first-place Minnesota Twins in the American League Central.
Guardians manager Terry Francona expressed his focus on the standings and where the team will end up rather than just reaching a .500 record. The team hopes that their recent performance will serve as a turning point and propel them further.
In the previous game, Josh Bell played a key role by hitting a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Bell, who has a career batting average of .400 (22-for-55) against the Royals, emphasized the importance of winning games within their division. He believes that once the team gets clicking, things will fall into place, and by the end of the season, they will achieve a record above .500.
Cleveland has had success against the Royals this season, winning four out of five meetings and outscoring them 28-7 in the process.
On Saturday, the Guardians’ rookie Gavin Williams (0-1, 3.79 ERA) will face off against the Royals’ Brady Singer (5-7, 5.52 ERA) in a matchup of right-handed pitchers. Williams, 23, suffered his first career loss in his last start against the Atlanta Braves, allowing four runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. Despite not having his best stuff, Williams remains determined to improve.
Williams will be making his fourth career start, with his previous outing against Kansas City resulting in seven scoreless innings, one hit, one walk, and six strikeouts.
Singer, 26, snapped a four-game winless streak in his last start, giving up only one run on four hits in seven innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Following the win, Singer expressed hope that the team would gain more confidence and build on their success.
However, the Royals have struggled recently, losing five consecutive games since that victory over the Dodgers and falling to a record of 25-64, 41 games under .500.
In Singer’s career, he holds a 2-1 record with a 4.33 ERA in ten appearances (nine starts) against the Guardians. In his most recent matchup against them on June 27, Singer performed well, pitching six scoreless innings and allowing only four hits.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been a bright spot for the Royals, recording hits in seven of his last eight games. Over that span, he has gone 11-for-31 with seven RBIs and four runs scored.
Overall, the Guardians have a chance to move above .500 with a win against the struggling Royals and continue their pursuit of the division-leading Twins. Pregame hits the air at 2:30 on Saturday afternoon, with first pitch at 3:10 on KTTN AM 1600 and FM 92.3.
