The Kansas City Royals needed a quality start.
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After a tough home series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the bullpen was taxed coming into Monday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians.
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Royals starter Michael Wacha answered the call — with some help. Wacha allowed one earned run in six innings as the Royals won 4-2 over the Guardians at Progressive Field.
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It was his first start in eight days. Last week, the Royals pushed Wacha due to illness, which granted him additional rest.
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That paid off against the Guardians.
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Wacha was efficient in the strike zone. He navigated the Cleveland lineup primarily with his four-seam fastball, changeup and cutter. The heater registered 10 of 12 first-pitch strikes and generated 14 swings, per Statcast.
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The Guardians didn’t have many chances. All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan hit a solo homer in the third, but Wacha limited the damage. He worked out of trouble in the fourth and sixth innings, thanks in large part to his defense.
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Royals record rare double play
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The Royals pulled off a rare 5-6-4-3 double play to end the fourth. Guardians designated hitter Rhys Hoskins lined a ball off Maikel Garcia’s glove. The baseball trickled over to Bobby Witt Jr., who fired to Jonathan India for an out at second.
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India then threw to first and got Hoskins in time. The defensive play kept the score tied at 1-1 — and more importantly kept Wacha’s pitch count manageable.
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#Royals infield collaborates on incredible double play in the fourth inning:
Maikel Garcia –> Bobby Witt Jr. –> Jonathan India –> Vinnie Pasquantino
pic.twitter.com/LbYGobU39W
— Jaylon T. Thompson (@jaylonthompson) April 6, 2026
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In the sixth, Vinnie Pasquantino added another double play. He caught a line drive off Kyle Manzardo’s bat and threw to Witt to pick off Chase DeLauter at second.
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Both defensive plays kept the Guardians off the scoreboard.
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Carter Jensen redeems himself
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The Royals built their offense behind India and Carter Jensen.
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Jensen finished 2-for-4. He hit the go-ahead homer in the sixth inning off Guardians reliever Peyton Pallette, just days after a gaffe took him out of the lineup back at home.
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India added key insurance runs in the eighth inning. He hit a two-run homer over the left-field wall — his second of the season — and finished with three RBIs.
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The Royals improved to 5-5. They bested Guardians starter Tanner Bibee, who entered with a career 3.19 ERA in eight starts against the Royals.
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Bibee allowed just one earned run in 4 ⅔ innings, but Cleveland dropped to 6-5.
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Wacha won his first game of the 2026 season. The Royals’ bullpen allowed a run as Brayan Rocchio hit a solo homer in the eighth. However, Lucas Erceg shut the door with his third save of the year.
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What’s next: Royals left-hander Noah Cameron (1-0, 1.80 ERA) will start opposite the Guardians’ Gavin WIlliams (1-1, 2.25 ERA) on Tuesday afternoon at Progressive Field. First pitch is set for 12:10 p.m. Central.
‘O artigo anterior pode incluir informações divulgadas por terceiros’
‘Alguns detalhes deste artigo foram extraídos da seguinte fonte www.kansascity.com’
‘ O artigo anterior foi obtido e traduzido do site internacional da celebrity.land ’
