Cleveland Baseball Insider

Big Series Ahead For Guardians Against Division Rival Royals

Cleveland will face Kansas City for the first time this season in a three-game set at Progressive Field from Tuesday through Thursday.
Logan Potosky|
May 21, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) watches his two-run home run in the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Progressive Field.
May 21, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) watches his two-run home run in the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Progressive Field. | David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

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Cleveland Guardians

Although their nine-game home winning streak was snapped in a 5-2 loss to the Washington Nationals on Sunday, the Cleveland Guardians (39-20) will head into the week with a four-game lead in the American League Central standings.

But a big test awaits Cleveland on Tuesday.

The team will face the AL Central second-place Kansas City Royals (36-25) for the first time this year in a three-game series to conclude a six-game homestand.

A pair of early-season American League MVP candidates will square off as well. 

Guardians third baseman José Ramírez currently ranks top-10 in MLB in: RBI (57, first), runs (44, tied for fourth), extra-base hits (30, tied for fifth), home runs (16, sixth), total bases (126, seventh), and slugging percentage (.543, ninth). On the other side, Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. ranks top-five in: runs (52, first), triples (six, second), hits (76, tied for second), extra-base hits (31, tied for third), total bases (131, fourth), and stolen bases (17, tied for fourth).

May 21, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) watches his two-run home run in the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Progressive Field.
May 21, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) watches his two-run home run in the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Progressive Field. | David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

With Kansas City sitting four games back of Cleveland in the division race, a three-game swing could potentially occur, depending on the results of the series.

If the Guardians were to sweep the Royals, its lead would balloon from four games to seven games over the Royals. On the contrary, a Kansas City sweep would shrink Cleveland’s AL Central lead to just one game. Both teams have won in convincing fashion this year, as the Guardians’ +78 run differential ranks fourth in MLB, and the Royals’ +74 mark ranks tied for fifth.

After an off day on Monday, first pitch for the series-opener is set for Tuesday night at 6:40 p.m.

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Logan Potosky
LOGAN POTOSKY

Logan Potosky is an aspiring play-by-play sports broadcaster who, to date, has called approximately 350+ hours of professional, college, and high school sporting events. He is currently the Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Lake County Captains, the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. He graduated from John Carroll University in May of 2023 with a degree in Communication, with a concentration in Digital Media, and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

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