A first-inning home run from Vinnie Pasquantino wasn’t enough for the Kansas City Royals, as their bats couldn’t produce enough runs to support starting pitcher Stephen Kolek, resulting in a 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, Sept. 11 in the final game of the regular season against a division foe.
Pasquantino’s two run blast off Gavin Williams was his 30th of the year, but would end up being the only runs allowed by the Guardians starter, and just one of four hits allowed in his six innings. Williams walked three but struck out six, keeping Cleveland in the game as their defense stranded eight Royals runners. The Guardians plated their first run in the fourth, when a José Ramírez groundout scored Steven Kwan.
Kolek went into the seventh inning and claimed two outs before he was relieved by John Schrieber, who was able to get the last out of the frame. However, he ran into trouble immediately in the eighth, when Bo Naylor singled to lead off the inning, followed by CJ Kayfus sending a fly ball over center field for the game-winning two-run home run. Despite the Royals getting a leadoff runner in the ninth when Jonathan India was hit by a pitch, closer Cade Smith recorded two strikeouts on foul tips and got Mike Yastrzemski to fly out to right field to close out the game.
Schreiber took the loss as well as his fourth blown save of the year, allowing the two-run home run on two hits while recording a pair of strikeouts in 1.1 innings.
Thursday’s game against Cleveland was the final game of the regular season for the Royals against a division foe, with KC going 26-26 in the AL Central. The Royals are now 74-73, 10 games behind Detroit in the division and five games behind Seattle for the third wild card spot. The Guardians and Rangers are also ahead of the Royals in the chase for a playoff position, with Seattle extending their winning streak to six Thursday night.
The Royals face a tall task to close the widening gap, as they prepare for a three-game series at the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies. Michaerl Lorenzen will get the start for KC at Citizens Bank Park, with first pitch Friday at 5:45 p.m.
After a travel day Thursday, the St Louis Cardinals pay a visit to Milwaukee to face the Brewers, with both teams coming in with three-game losing streaks. Andre Pallante will get the start for the Redbirds, with first pitch at 7:10 p.m.