Oscar Gonzalez hit a two-run double in the 10th inning and the Cleveland Guardians snapped a five-game losing streak, beating the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Monday night to regain sole possession of the AL Central lead.
Cleveland moved a game ahead of Minnesota, which lost 5-2 to the New York Yankees. The third-place Chicago White Sox are one game behind the Twins.
Josh Naylor homered for the Guardians, and Andres Gimenez scored twice.
Cleveland starter Triston McKenzie acknowledged the victory was a relief for the Guardians.
Drew Waters hit his first major league home run for Kansas City, and Salvador Perez’s one-out RBI double in the eighth tied it at 4.
Eli Morgan (5-3) won in relief, and Emmanuel Clase earned his 31st save in 33 opportunities. He allowed a run in the 10th but stranded the potential tying run at first base.
With the automatic runner on second, Kansas City walked Jose Ramirez to begin the 10th. One out later, Gonzalez doubled to deep center field off Carlos Hernandez (0-5).
The Guardians scored two runs on four singles in the second. Gimenez and Tyler Freeman had one-out singles before Austin Hedges’ sacrifice back to starter Brady Singer scored Gimenez. Myles Straw then singled with two outs to score Freeman.
McKenzie cruised through four innings, but the Royals reached him for a couple of runs in the fifth. Michael Massey worked a walk and scored on Waters’ 400-foot shot to the Royals’ bullpen in right field.
Naylor gave the Guardians the lead back with a lead-off home run in the fifth, a 421-foot drive to right-center.
Gimenez then scored an unearned run. He doubled and went to third on Singer’s wild pickoff attempt before coming home on a sacrifice fly by Freeman.
Michael A. Taylor’s sacrifice fly in the sixth drew the Royals within a run and ended McKenzie’s night.
UP NEXT
The teams continue their three-game series Tuesday night when Guardians RHP Shane Bieber (8-8, 3.06 ERA) faces LHP Kris Bubic (2-10, 5.47). You can hear the game on KMMO FM 102.9 with pregame starting at 6;30 and game-time at 7:10.