Royals open make-or-break stretch vs. Guardians

Whether the Kansas City Royals remain a serious contender for the American League Central crown could be answered over the next 10 days.

About to see plenty of each other, the division-leading Cleveland Guardians are set to host the Royals in a split doubleheader on Monday to open a key four-game series.

Upon completion of play Friday, Kansas City was just one game behind the first-place Guardians in the AL Central. However, the Royals were then outscored 22-5 while losing two straight to the Philadelphia Phillies, while Cleveland posted back-to-back home victories over Texas to take a three-game series from the Rangers.

That leaves both the Royals and Minnesota Twins three games back of the Guardians. Kansas City, currently in an AL wild-card spot, and Cleveland will meet seven times over the next 10 days.

"(The past two games against Philadelphia) will have no impact on what we do (Monday), or here on forward," said Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro, whose team had won seven of eight before losing two in a row.

The Guardians had the best record in the majors entering play on June 26, nine games up on the Twins and 10 on the Royals. Since then, Cleveland is 24-29.

"You want to play meaningful games down the stretch," Guardians All-Star David Fry, who hit his 13th homer of the season in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Rangers, told Bally Sports Cleveland.

"These next four games are going to be fun."

Kansas City is 4-2 against the Guardians this season, and its scheduled Game 1 starter on Monday is Cole Ragans (10-8, 3.31 ERA), who is 3-1 with a 2.50 ERA in his past six road starts. However, the left-hander yielded five runs (four earned) over five-plus innings to take a loss at home against the Los Angeles Angels last Tuesday.

Ragans allowed five runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings while taking a loss against Cleveland on June 29. Guardians rookie Jhonkensy Noel clubbed a two-run homer off Ragans in that contest.

Noel has homered in each of the past two games and has belted 12 home runs in 41 games this season. He has never faced scheduled Kansas City nightcap starter Alec Marsh (7-7, 4.71), who will be recalled from Triple-A Omaha.

The right-hander, who last pitched in the majors on July 29, allowed four hits and one run in six innings to get the win in Kansas City's 10-3 home victory over Cleveland on June 28.

Cleveland, meanwhile, is likely going to use reliever Nick Sandlin (7-0, 3.88) as an opener in Game 1 of the twin bill. Left-hander Logan Allen (8-4, 5.56) is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Columbus to make his first big-league start since Aug. 5 in Game 2.

Allen took a loss against Kansas City on June 30, giving up three runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Royals star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who clubbed his 26th homer of the year in Sunday's 11-3 loss to the Phillies, is a sizzling 6-for-11 against Allen in his career. Witt is also batting .375 (9-for-24) with two homers and five RBIs vs. Cleveland in 2024.

--Field Level Media