Two unsung Royals helped Bobby Witt Jr. in comeback win over the Guardians
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- Royals rallied for a 5-3 comeback win over the Cleveland Guardians Tuesday night.
- Collins, Massey and Witt accounted for seven of Kansas City’s eight hits.
- Stephen Kolek delivered quality start in 2026 debut, allowing three runs in six innings.
The Royals found themselves in familiar territory Tuesday night against the Cleveland Guardians.
They took an early lead — like, first-inning early — before the Guardians claimed the lead themselves.
But the boys in blue continued their run of productive at-bats and flashed some power from unexpected places in a 5-3 win over the Guardians.
The Royals have won five straight overall, and they’ve overcome a deficit in six of their last seven wins.
And there’s more good news: The Royals are amid a 10-game stretch against AL Central opponents, giving them the chance to creep up the standings.
After Tuesday’s action, they remain in fourth (17-19), but only a half-game back of the division-leading Detroit Tigers and Guardians, 18-19. The White Sox entered the day 17-18.
“It’s just a testament to the character of the guys in here. And no one’s gonna quit,” second baseman Michael Massey said.
Royals’ offense started hot
The Royals got the bats going in their first four plate appearances. Bobby Witt Jr. was the spark once again for KC.
After leadoff hitter Maikel Garcia began the game with a walk, Witt hit a double to right field on the first pitch, putting both runners in scoring position. Vinnie Pasquantino popped up the next pitch.
With one out, Salvador Perez took a four-seam fastball to right center and cleared the bases with a single, giving the Royals an early 2-0 lead.
The lead only lasted three innings before Cleveland’s bats responded.
Cleveland took the lead in the fourth inning, thanks to a three-run shot from home run juggernaut Rhys Hoskins that bounced off the left field pole at 343 feet. Hoskins’ third homer of the year would’ve been a home run in half of the major league ballparks, according to Baseball Savant.
But the Royals snatched the lead back in the bottom of the fourth with some home run magic of their own.
KC takes the lead back
Left fielder Isaac Collins got his second hit of the night, using his speed to reach second for a double. The next at-bat, second baseman Michael Massey smashed a Gavin Williams curveball 392 feet into the right field stands to take a 4-3 lead. It was Massey’s second homer of the season.
“That kind of took some pressure off,” Collins said. “We knew we had plenty of time to come back, and we had all been swinging the bat pretty well. ... Never really felt like the air was taken out of the dugout.”
Massey connected with the ball on the eighth pitch of the at-bat on a 2-2 count. It also came after an ABS challenge from Guardians catcher Bo Naylor, who had a ball ruling upheld.
“Sometimes it makes sense to see a couple and make them work,” Massey said. “I think the hitting coaches really do a great job of preparing us.”
In the sixth inning, Collins crushed an 86 mph sweeper 382 feet to right field for his third home run of the season, and tacked on some insurance with a 5-3 lead. It brought Collins to within a triple of the cycle.
The Royals ended the night with eight hits and all five runs off Williams’ 97 pitches. Massey and Witt each recorded two hits while Collins led the way with three.
Collins struggled to begin the season but is now hitting .255. He’s hit safely in nine of his last 13 games, with five multi-hit games in that time.
Royals pitching continues to roll
Right-hander Stephen Kolek provided Kansas City’s 19th quality start of the season in his 2026 debut. Through six innings, he held Cleveland to four hits, three runs and a home run while collecting three strikeouts in 83 pitches.
Righty Nick Mears handled the seventh in three at-bats with no problem. Lefty Daniel Lynch IV stepped on the mound in the eighth, allowing only a walk (thanks to an overturned call by pinch hitter David Fry) and handling the side quickly after.
The lights went dark before closer Lucas Erceg was handed the ball, and he got his 10th save of the season, good for top-3 in MLB.
Postgame, Massey and Quatraro applauded Kolek’s poise, especially after the go-ahead home run. Quatraro called Kolek’s debut “really outstanding.”
“He’s got weapons to get righties and lefties out, and he only had one righty in the lineup tonight, and he navigated it well,” Quatraro said.
Kolek utilized his four-seam fastball and sinker for the majority of his pitches, averaging 94 mph. He recorded strikes on 68% of his pitches.
“He’s calm, he’s prepared, he’s got — can’t really quantify it. He’s got some deception as well,” Quatraro said. “The ball gets on guys. They don’t see it that well. He’s got all the weapons.”
Kolek is happy to be back in KC, feeling good after returning from an oblique strain and stepping in for Noah Cameron (lower back tightness).
“Just try to stay in the moment. Keep it pitch by pitch and batter by batter, and don’t let things snowball,” Kolek said. “When I gave up the homer, it’s easy to be ... this, that and the other. But it’s lock back in and make the next pitch.”
Kolek also lauded catcher Carter Jensen for helping him feel comfortable.
“Before the game, we went over our game plan,” Kolek said. “I kind of told him some of the things I’ve been working on, but I said, ‘Hey, you’ve got this, I’m going to trust you tonight.’ And he did a great job calling it, and defense obviously did a great job behind me.”
Up next: Game 3 against the Guardians is set for 6:40 p.m. Wednesday with Royals ace Cole Ragans (1-4, 5.29 ERA) and Cleveland’s Joey Cantillo (1-1, 3.67) as the probable starters.
This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 9:14 PM with the headline "Two unsung Royals helped Bobby Witt Jr. in comeback win over the Guardians."
