First-place Royals? Kansas City surges into tie with Cleveland Guardians atop AL Central

The Kansas City Royals have caught the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central. And they did it with three straight head-to-head wins in Cleveland.

The Royals pulled out a 6-1 victory behind newcomer Paul DeJong on Tuesday. The veteran third baseman hit a key two-run homer to propel the Royals into first place.

KC (75-58) climbed into a divisional tie with the Guardians. The Royals hadn’t been in first place since April 13.

In the second inning, DeJong caught up to a 98 mph fastball from Guardians starter Gavin Williams. The blast traveled 395 feet over the right-center field wall.

The quick lead came at a cost. Later in the second inning, Royals right-handed starter Michael Lorenzen exited the game with a left hamstring strain. He apparently sustained the injury after racing to cover the first base bag.

Lorenzen, who was acquired from the Texas Rangers, has been solid in five starts for the Royals. He has a 1.85 ERA in 24 ⅓ innings with the club.

The Royals had a 2-1 lead before heavy rains halted play in the fifth inning. When play resumed, KC put the game away.

Infield duo Maikel Garcia and Michael Massey added RBI singles off Guardians reliever, and former Royal, Scott Barlow. The Royals scored three runs against Barlow to take a late four-run lead.

From there, KC relied on the bullpen to finish the game. Royals relievers James McArthur, John Schreiber, Sam Long and Chris Stratton helped nail down the club’s third consecutive victory.

KC has won seven of nine games against Cleveland and clinched the regular-season series.

Missed previous games in the series?

Game 1: Royals climb up AL Central standings with road win over Guardians

Game 2: Salvador Perez’s monster night leads to Royals doubleheader sweep

Here are more notables from Tuesday’s game:

Carlos Hernandez shines in emergency relief

The Royals turned to right-handed reliever Carlos Hernandez in a crucial spot. He filled in during the second inning after Lorenzen left due to injury.

And it was a tough situation.

Hernandez inherited two runners on base. He was tasked to face catcher Bo Naylor after tossing a few warmup pitches. The quick change wasn’t a hindrance as Hernandez struck out Naylor to end the scoring chance.

The Royals stuck with Hernandez for 2 ⅓ innings. He allowed one run before play was halted by the rain delay.

Speaking of...

Royals sit through rain delay

The Royals held a 2-1 lead before heavy rains temporarily stopped play. In the fifth inning, the Guardians were set to bat before the grounds crew covered Progressive Field.

The rain delay lasted 2 hours, 14 minutes.

Play resumed at 9:20 p.m. Central with Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio leading off against McArthur. The Royals right-hander worked two innings and struck out four batters in his relief appearance.

Wednesday’s finale is for the AL Central lead

The Royals conclude their four-game series against the Guardians on Wednesday. KC right-hander Michael Wacha will start in the early matinee.

Wacha is 11-6 with a 3.47 ERA. He has won seven consecutive decisions since June 22 against the Texas Rangers.

The Guardians will start right-hander Tanner Bibee. He is 10-6 with a 3.46 ERA in 25 starts during the 2024 campaign.