Sep 3, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio (4) hits a one-run sacrifice against the Kansas City Royals in the second inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Brayan Rocchio homered and drove in four runs and Tanner Bibee tossed six strong innings leading the visiting Cleveland Guardians past Kansas City 7-1 on Tuesday, sending the Royals to their seventh consecutive loss.
Bibee (11-6) surrendered one run on two hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Kyle Manzardo matched a career high with three hits while Will Brennan had two hits and two runs for the Guardians (80-59), who have won five of their past six.
Cleveland extended its American League Central lead to 4 1/2 games over the second-place Minnesota Twins (75-63) and to 5 1/2 games over the third-place Royals (75-65).
The Royals have managed a total of six hits in the two losses to the Guardians the past two days. Kansas City has been outscored 39-17 during its season-worst losing streak and has scored fewer than three runs in five straight games.
Through the first five innings, Bibee permitted a lone hit — Bobby Witt Jr.’s first-inning single — and allowed just one runner past first base.
Rocchio’s second-inning sacrifice fly opened the scoring and Andres Gimenez looped an RBI single to left in the fifth for a 2-0 Cleveland lead.
Bibee ran into sixth-inning trouble, allowing a leadoff double to Tommy Pham and walks to Witt and Michael Massey to load the bases ahead of Paul DeJong’s one-out sacrifice fly.
After Cleveland’s Bo Naylor led off the seventh with a single, Rocchio twice failed to get a bunt down in fair ground before hooking his seventh homer inside the left field foul pole for a 4-1 lead.
Pitching for the first time since leaving the Thursday game in Houston with a minor hand injury, Royals reliever Lucas Erceg loaded the bases in the eighth, allowing two hits and hitting a batter. James McArthur took over on the mound with two outs, and Rocchio drew a run-scoring walk and Steven Kwan delivered a two-run single, capping the scoring.
Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor left the game in the eighth inning due an apparent injury.
Royals starter Brady Singer (9-10) allowed two runs on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
Witt had half of Kansas City’s four hits, his 57th multi-hit game of the season.
–Field Level Media
