KANSAS CITY ROYALS NEWS

Royals catch Guardians atop AL Central, move into tie for first after 6-1 win in rain delayed game

Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer as the Kansas City Royals caught Cleveland atop the AL Central by beating the Guardians 6-1 in a game delayed more than two hours by rain

AUGUST 28 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Royals RHP Michael Lorenzen (hamstring) exits start vs. Guardians Kansas City Royals starter Michael Lorenzen exited in the second inning Tuesday night at the Cleveland Guardians with a left hamstring strai...

AUGUST 28 • SUNHERALD.COM

Lorenzen exits early with apparent leg injury CLEVELAND -- Michael Lorenzen exited Tuesday’s start against the Guardians with an apparent leg injury, forcing the Royals into an impromptu...

AUGUST 28 • MLB.COM

Guardians vs. Royals Prediction, Odds, Picks - August 28

Preview the August 28 matchup between the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals with odds over/under, game spread, betting lines and mo...

AUGUST 28 • DATA SKRIVE

Royals RHP Michael Lorenzen to undergo MRI after injuring his left hamstring in start against Guards

Kansas City Royals starter Michael Lorenzen will undergo an MRI on Wednesday after injuring his left hamstring in the second inning of Tuesday night’s 6-1 win over the Cleveland Gu...

AUGUST 27 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bigger Deal: Burnes or Lugo struggling? | 08/27/2024 The Intentional Talk crew discusses which is a bigger deal, Corbin Burnes or Seth Lugo's recent struggles on the mound

AUGUST 27 • MLB.COM

Michael Lorenzen - Exits with injury Lorenzen was removed from Tuesday's game against the Guardians with an apparent leg injury, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports.

Impact Lorenzen seemed to injure his leg covering first base while attempting to complete a double play in the second frame. He was initially able to remain in the game to face another batter but was relieved before he could finish the inning. The 32-year-old is scheduled to start again in Houston over the weekend, though a better picture of his status for that game will emerge once the Royals are able to take a closer look at him.

AUGUST 27 • ROTOWIRE

Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Guardians Game Story, Scores/Highlights - 08/27/2024 This browser does not support the video element.

AUGUST 27 • MLB.COM

Dairon Blanco - Records 24th steal Blanco went 1-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in a 9-4 win over the Guardians in Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader.

Impact Blanco should be in the lineup regularly versus left-handed pitchers while Hunter Renfroe (hamstring) is on the injured list. Blanco has logged three steals over his last six games and now has 24 thefts across 75 contests, matching his career high from last year. The speedy outfielder has added a .267/.312/.405 slash line with four home runs, 13 RBI, 32 runs scored and four doubles in just 126 plate appearances.

AUGUST 27 • ROTOWIRE

Garrett Hampson - On base three times in nightcap Hampson went 2-for-4 with a walk, one RBI and a stolen base in a 9-4 win over the Guardians in Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader.

Impact Hampson has been a regular in the lineup versus southpaws in August. That said, he hasn't done much, batting just .175 (7-for-40) with no extra-base hits and two walks over 15 contests. Hampson has yet to hit a home run this year, adding 12 doubles, one triple, 14 RBI, 14 runs scored and seven stolen bases while slashing .239/.281/.314 across 201 plate appearances.

AUGUST 27 • ROTOWIRE

Maikel Garcia - Three hits in nightcap Garcia went 3-for-4 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored in a 9-4 win over the Guardians in the second game of Monday's doubleheader.

Impact Garcia went hitless in the matinee, which was the fourth time in five contests he had been held without a hit. The infielder bounced back in the nightcap, earning his first three-hit effort since he had four knocks May 21 versus the Tigers. Garcia is now at a .238/.285/.347 slash line with seven home runs, 23 doubles, a career-high 51 RBI, 81 runs scored and 30 stolen bases through 128 contests. He'll continue to split time between second base and third base, though Garcia is not guaranteed an everyday spot in the lineup.

AUGUST 27 • ROTOWIRE

Paul DeJong - Goes yard in nightcap DeJong went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk and an additional run scored in a 9-4 win over the Guardians in Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader.

Impact DeJong didn't play in the matinee, but he was able to make an impact while starting at third base in the nightcap. The infielder has gone 11-for-32 (.344) with three homers, three doubles and six RBI over his last nine contests. For the season, he has a .238/.288/.450 slash line with 22 homers, 51 RBI, 48 runs scored, 17 doubles and two stolen bases over 120 games between the Royals and the White Sox. DeJong is not an everyday player in Kansas City, but he hasn't been limited to platoon duties since Maikel Garcia occasionally shifts over to cover second base.

AUGUST 27 • ROTOWIRE

Sam Long - Picks up win in Game 2 Long (3-1) allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the win in Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader versus the Guardians.

Impact Spot starter Alec Marsh was unable to complete five innings, leaving the win to Long after the Royals took the lead in the top of the fifth. Long has allowed two runs with a 6:6 K:BB over 7.1 innings in August, earning a win and two holds. Overall, he has a 2.37 ERA despite a 1.25 WHIP and 33:14 K:BB over 30.1 innings this year, and he's added one save and five holds while mostly seeing low-leverage work.

AUGUST 27 • ROTOWIRE

John Schreiber - Earns win in matinee Schreiber (4-3) struck out one and didn't allow a baserunner over 1.2 scoreless innings, earning the win in the first game of Monday's doubleheader versus the Guardians.

Impact Schreiber has pitched 3.2 scoreless innings, earning a win, a save and a hold over three appearances since he returned from a knee injury. He's now at a 3.76 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 32:14 K:BB with two saves and 21 holds over 40.2 innings this year. Schreiber has allowed a lot of baserunners, but he's still been able to maintain a setup role in the Royals' struggling bullpen.

AUGUST 27 • ROTOWIRE

MJ Melendez - Productive in doubleheader Melendez went 4-for-9 with a three-run home run across both games of Monday's doubleheader sweep over the Guardians.

Impact Melendez's three-run blast came in the matinee, accounting for three of the Royals' four runs in that win. He wasn't directly involved in run production in the nightcap, but he logged his first three-hit game since July 12 in that contest. Melendez is batting .339 (20-for-59) over 20 games in August, lifting his slash line up to .216/.274/.433 with 17 homers, 43 RBI, 38 runs scored and three stolen bases over 109 contests. He needs two more homers to establish a career high.

AUGUST 27 • ROTOWIRE

Royals could potentially target Rangers ace this winter in free agency | Sporting News The Kansas City Royals may be able to spend some money this offseason to improve their starting rotation.

AUGUST 27 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM

Salvador Perez - Huge day in twin bill Perez went 5-for-7 with two walks, two doubles, two home runs, three runs scored and six RBI across both games of Monday's doubleheader sweep of the Guardians.

Impact The veteran slugger was behind the plate for the first game and DH'ed in the second, but Perez tore the cover off the ball no matter what his defensive responsibilities were. Both long balls came in the nightcap as he launched a solo shot off Logan Allen in the fifth inning to snap a 4-4 tie before destroying a Tim Herrin curveball in the sixth for a grand slam. Perez has reeled off three straight multi-hit performances, boosting his August slash line to .302/.361/.616, and the 34-year-old is up to 25 homers on the season -- the fourth time in his career he's reached that plateau.

AUGUST 27 • ROTOWIRE

Bobby Witt - Slugs winning homer in matinee Witt went 2-for-6 with three walks, a double, a solo home run, a second run scored and a stolen base in Monday's doubleheader sweep of the Guardians.

Impact The AL MVP candidate took Hunter Gaddis deep in the eighth inning of the matinee to break a 3-3 tie and set the Royals on their way to winning both games. Witt has hit safely in 14 of the last 15 games, slashing .351/.448/.737 over that stretch with five homers, two steals, 10 RBI and 14 runs, and the 24-year-old is closing in on his second straight 30-30 campaign with 27 home runs and 27 stolen bases through 132 contests.

AUGUST 27 • ROTOWIRE

Daniel Lynch - Snags three-inning save Lynch picked up his first career save in the second game of Monday's doubleheader sweep of the Guardians, giving up a hit and a walk over three scoreless innings of relief. He stru...

Impact The southpaw was called up from Triple-A Omaha earlier in the day to provide some length to the Royals' bullpen, and Lynch finished up a 9-4 win in the nightcap with a 34-pitch outing. He's been effective in Triple-A since being sent down in mid-June, posting a 2.80 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 61:19 K:BB through 12 starts and 74 innings, but Kansas City doesn't have room in its big-league rotation for the 27-year-old at the moment.

AUGUST 27 • ROTOWIRE

Lucas Erceg - Collects eighth save Erceg recorded his eighth save of the season in the first game of Monday's doubleheader sweep of the Guardians, walking one batter in a scoreless ninth inning.

Impact The right-hander got only seven of his 14 pitches over the plate, and Erceg got some help from his defense when Maikel Garcia made a leaping grab on a one-out David Fry liner that might have brought home the tying run. Erceg has converted all five of his save chances since joining the Royals, and he hasn't walked a batter since July 21, going 14.1 innings between free passes with a 0.00 ERA, 0.42 WHIP and 18 strikeouts.

AUGUST 27 • ROTOWIRE

Royals try to continue road win streak in matchup against the Guardians

The Kansas City Royals visit the Cleveland Guardians trying to prolong a six-game road winning streak

AUGUST 27 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Logan Allen K's MJ Melendez | 08/26/2024 The Official Site of Major League Baseball

AUGUST 27 • MLB.COM

Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Guardians odds, picks and predictions The Kansas City Royals (74-58) and Cleveland Guardians (75-57) play the 3rd contest of a 4-game set Tuesday. First pitch from Progressive Fi...

AUGUST 27 • AZCENTRAL.COM

Royals eye share of AL Central lead as series vs. Guardians continues Considering how dominant right-hander Michael Lorenzen has been in his past three starts against the Guardians, the Kansas City Royals appea...

AUGUST 27 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM