Guardians Snap Royals' Three-Game Winning Streak

The Royals fell to the division-leading Guardians by five runs Saturday.

Jun 28, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals second base Michael Massey (19) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports / William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

Vinnie Pasquantino hit a home run for the second consecutive game, but the Royals couldn't get it done against the AL Central leaders on a special day in which Bo Jackson entered the Royals Hall of Fame. Instead, Cleveland (52-29) kept its chances at a series split intact with a 7-2 win Saturday in the third act of a four-game set.

Kansas City starter Cole Ragans never really had it, taking the loss to bring his season record to 5-6. He gave up the game's first run in the opening half-inning after letting the first two Guardians runners on base. Josh Naylor then doubled home Steven Kwan. Ragans got it together following that shaky beginning, until a fourth-inning home run by Jhonkensy Noel plated two runs and gave the visitors a lead they would not relinquish. Noel, whose Major League career is still less than one week old, now has two home runs on the season.

Prior to that, the Royals had gotten two runs on the board via solo shots, including a first-inning bomb by Pasquantino. His 10th long ball of the campaign knotted things up at one run apiece. In the second inning, designated hitter Michael Massey sent one out to right field to give his team the lead. Kansas City did not score again afterwards, and Cleveland starting pitcher Tanner Bibee went on to log a quality start with six innings and just four hits. Ragans exited after 4.2 innings and finished his day with five earned runs.

Noel's home run did not lead to a further rally in the fourth inning, but the Guardians added three runs in the top of the fifth. What started as a 3-2 Royals deficit turned into a 6-2 advantage for Cleveland, beginning with an RBI double by star third baseman Jose Ramirez. Angel Zerpa took the mound in relief of Ragans and saw the first batter he faced, Naylor, record another RBI with a double. Designated hitter David Fry was subsequently intentionally walked, and then former All-Star second baseman Andres Gimenez made the home team pay for that decision by recording an RBI hit of his own, completing the damage in the inning.

The only scoring (on either side) in the game from that point on was a direct result of Ramirez joining Pasquantino as players in the series to hit a home run in two straight games. In the top of the seventh, Ramirez took reliever Will Smith, a World Series champion in each of the past three seasons, deep to left field. That was the seventh Guardians run of the afternoon, and Kansas City's (46-39) offense failed to bring any response that reflected in the scoring column.

Cleveland outhit Kansas City 9-6 in addition to the quality start on the mound, thus ending the Royals' three-game winning streak. One game remains in the month of June for both teams, and it is Sunday afternoon's series finale against one another. The Royals would win the series with a victory in that game. Ragans will have a bobblehead day, despite it not being his turn to pitch. The action is scheduled to get underway at 1:10 p.m. CT.