Tuesday’s loss has to be the one with the most negative repercussions for the Cleveland Guardians and their season.
Holding on to a one-game lead in the AL Central, the Guards were defeated by the Kansas City Royals for the third time in two days, this time 6-1.
That defeat means the Royals are no co-leaders of the division alongside Cleveland, but there is more.
“For the first time since April 13, the Guardians are not standing atop the AL Central. The morning of June 26, the Guardians had a 10-game lead on the Royals in the AL Central. Now, the teams are tied and the Royals have clinched the season-series tiebreaker,” The Athletic’s Zack Meisel tweeted.
For the first time since April 13, the Guardians are not standing atop the AL Central.
The morning of June 26, the Guardians had a 10-game lead on the Royals in the AL Central.
Now, the teams are tied and the Royals have clinched the season-series tiebreaker.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) August 28, 2024
Oof.
The Guardians had sole possession of the top spot in the Central for four and a half months.
Their spotty play in the second half of the season combined with the Royals’ surge has been disastrous for Cleveland.
Gavin Williams was solid from the mound on Tuesday, with five innings of two runs allowed and six strikeouts.
It didn’t matter, though, as the offense was completely non-existent outside of an RBI single by Lane Thomas in the fourth frame.
Michael Lorenzen, Carlos Hernandez, James McArthur, John Schreiber, Sam Long, and Chris Stratton combined to surrender just a single run in nine frames.
The Guardians have one last chance to take one game from Kansas City and return to first place on Wednesday, with Tanner Bibee on the mound against Michael Wacha, at 1:10 pm ET.
NEXT: Analyst Doesn't Believe Guardians Will Hold On To Their Division Lead
