How the Guardians turned the tables on the Royals in Thursday’s series finale
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Guardians won series finale 3-2 with C.J. Kayfus' late two-run homer in eighth.
- Vinnie Pasquantino hit 30th homer, joining Royals' all-time lefty power hitters.
- Royals fell 1.5 games behind Guardians in AL wild-card race with 15 games left.
The Kansas City Royals know their backs are against the wall.
With 15 games remaining in the 2025 season, they have reached a point where every game matters.
“It’s a really important one to try to get ahead of these guys because I think they got the tiebreaker on us,” Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino said before Thursday’s matchup against the Cleveland Guardians.
A lot will need to break right for the Royals to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, KC couldn’t maintain a late lead in a 3-2 loss in Thursday’s series finale.
KC entered Thursday night four games behind the Seattle Mariners for the final spot in the American League wild-card race. However, Pasquantino understood that any potential late comeback had to start by beating the Guardians at Progressive Field.
Pasquantino made sure to do his part with a two-run homer. But Guardians right fielder C.J. Kayfus countered with a go-ahead, two-run homer of his own, off Royals reliever John Schreiber in the eighth inning.
Kayfus hit a four-seam fastball that caught too much of the plate. The homer traveled 425 feet as the Guardians pulled out the victory.
“It’s a gut punch,” Pasquantino said. “He took a good swing and he hit it out. Sucks. Plain and simple.”
Pasquantino gave the Royals a jolt early. He belted his 30th home run off Guardians starter Gavin Williams in the first inning. The homer was significant as Pasquantino became the fourth left-handed hitter in Royals history to record at least 30 homers in a single season.
“We just came up on the short side of it,” Pasquantino said. “So our road is very difficult right now. It’s not over though, and we got to do whatever we can to go get some wins and try to stack them together. We are at the point where we got to get hot. That’s the only way that it’s gonna happen. We need some things to go our way,” Pasquantino added about the Royals’ chances of making the playoffs.
Pasquantino’s 30 homers in a Royals season joined Mike Moustakas (38 homers in 2017), John Mayberry (34 in 1975) and George Brett (30 in 1985). And this came just one day after Pasquantino reached 100 RBIs in a season for the first time in his career.
He is now the 10th different Royal (11 times) to have a 30-home run, 100-RBI season.
The Royals (74-73) rode the early runs for a while. However, their inability to extend the lead through the middle innings cost them late.
“I tried to go up and in on Kayfus,” Schreiber said. “Got it in, but left it down. So, yeah, just missed a couple of pitches then they just did some damage. So it’s frustrating. Haven’t been coming up in big spots the last few series and hurt the team.”
The Guardians won eight of the 13 games in the regular-season series. KC next heads to Philadelphia for a three-game series against the Phillies.
“It stinks,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I mean, really, we have all the confidence in the world in Schreiber. You know, you see after the homer, he mows down the next three guys.”
Stephen Kolek pitches well again
The Royals made a shrewd move by acquiring starting pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek from the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline.
Bergert has solidified himself in the starting rotation. And now, Kolek could be right behind him after another strong performance.
“I thought it was a good night,” Kolek said. “It’s my first time facing a lineup that had 100% lefties in it. I guess historically, lefties have been a challenge for myself. I have been working at developing new weapons and to be able to execute them at a pretty good clip tonight. And kind of like the plan of attack we had, I felt pretty good.”
Kolek allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings. Known as a ground-ball pitcher, Kolek began Thursday’s game with three strikeouts in his first six batters.
Once again, his four-seam fastball helped him get into favorable counts. He utilized the fastball to set up his changeup and other off-speed pitches. The Guardians scratched out just three hits off Kolek.
He navigated the lineup without much trouble. Cleveland star Steven Kwan registered the Guardians’ first hit in the fourth inning with a double down the right-field line.
Kwan later scored on Jose Ramirez’s RBI groundout. But Kolek settled back into a rhythm and got a pair of nice plays from his defense.
In the third inning, Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone robbed Bo Naylor of potential extra bases. Caglianone made a leaping catch at the right-field wall to haul in the baseball. Later, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. snared a sharp line drive to end the fifth inning.
“The boys were putting on a show out there,” Kolek said of the defense. “You know, like I said in the past, just throw it over the plate and let the guys play behind you. I mean, it’s a great defensive team behind us, and it’s always nice to give them a chance to make plays like that.”
Kolek took a no-decision. He has allowed just four earned runs in 19 2/3 innings for Kansas City.
AL wild-card update
After losing the regular-season tiebreaker, the Royals fell further below the Guardians in the AL wild-card standings. The Royals also remained behind the Seattle Mariners (78-68) and Texas Rangers (77-70).
The Mariners began a four-game series with the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night. The Rangers were idle and will begin a three-game road series against the New York Mets on Friday night.
Cleveland improved to 75-71 and increased its distance from the Royals. Cleveland now leads KC by 1 and 1/2 games.
The Royals could drop another full game behind Seattle. If the Mariners win, the Royals would be five games back with 15 to play.
What’s next
The Royals will start right-hander Michael Lorenzen (5-10, 4.63 ERA) against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Friday. Lorenzen in 2023 threw a no-hitter as a member of the Phillies organization.
The Phillies will start fellow righty Walker Buehler (7-7. 5.45 ERA) in the series opener. First pitch is set for 5:45 p.m. Central Time.
This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 9:04 PM with the headline "How the Guardians turned the tables on the Royals in Thursday’s series finale."
