News Dump
Shane Bieber was diagnosed with a mild shoulder sprain and is expected to stay on schedule for his next start, fortunately. Michael A. Taylor, however, will go to the IL, and OF Oscar Mercado will join the playoff roster in a corresponding move.
Game Summary
The Royals struck immediately as Tony Kemp scored on a wild pitch after hitting a leadoff double and advancing to 3rd on a groundout. Andres Gimenez, however, responded with a leadoff HR and the next three batters all reached to load the bases with nobody out for RBI-leader Vinnie Pasquantino. Pasquantino delivered with a double down the line that plated two, but the Guardians again stranded runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. 3-1 Guardians after 1. Salvador Perez kept the scoring going with a solo shot of his own to start the 2nd, but both offenses remained quiet until the 4th when Andres Gimenez hit his 2nd solo HR of the game to make it 4-2. Hjelle found himself back in trouble in the 6th, and nearly escaped it until a 2-out error by Carlos Correa allowed a run to score to make it 4-3. The Guardians erupted once again in the 7th, however, as George Valera, Jose Ramirez, and Vinnie Pasquantino went back-to-back-to-back to make it 8-3 Guardians. The bullpen got the job done from there as the Guardians improved their series lead to 2-0.
Box Score: https://imgur.com/a/D1cQQVH