A quiet duel belonged to the Kansas City Royals, who shut out the Cleveland Guardians behind Michael Wacha's dominant outing. Kansas City established its advantage in the fifth and protected it through the finish.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| CLE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wacha controlled the game from the mound, working deep into the contest while keeping Cleveland scoreless and striking out ten. Steven Cruz closed the ninth and preserved the Royals' shutout.
Bobby Witt Jr. scored in the fifth when Salvador Perez grounded out, with Brayan Rocchio at shortstop and Nathaniel Lowe at first base. In the ninth, Carter Jensen's homer to right-center brought Tyler Tolbert home and extended Kansas City's lead.
Tanner Bibee kept Cleveland within reach during his outing, but the Guardians could not generate a scoring response. Nathaniel Lowe was held without a hit and struck out three times.
Kansas City extended its winning streak, while Cleveland absorbed another loss. The game stayed true to its quiet-duel character until Jensen supplied the late insurance.
Kansas City Royals defeated Cleveland Guardians, 3-0.
- Carter Jensen went 1-for-5 with 1 home run, 2 RBIs and 1 run scored (batting .223 on the season).
- Bobby Witt went 1-for-5 with 1 double and 1 run scored (batting .288 on the season).
- Brayan Rocchio went 1-for-3 (batting .249 on the season).
- Michael Wacha allowed 0 runs on 4 hits over 8.0 innings, striking out 10, to earn the win (8-8) (3.32 ERA).
- Tanner Bibee allowed 1 run on 7 hits over 6.0 innings, striking out 5, and took the loss (5-14) (3.88 ERA).
- Steven Cruz allowed 0 runs on 2 hits over 1.0 inning, striking out 2, and closed it out for the save (6) (4.35 ERA).
Cleveland Guardians fell to 68-67; Kansas City Royals improved to 61-75 (2 straight wins).