KANSAS CITY, Missouri — No. 9 hitter Brayan Rocchio struck out four runs and the Cleveland Guardians beat Kansas City 7-1 on Tuesday night, extending the Royals’ losing streak to a season-high seven.
Kansas City has scored two runs or fewer and managed just four hits for the fifth straight game. The Royals’ losing streak is their longest since a 10-game losing streak from June 5-16 of last year.
Since tying Cleveland for the AL Central lead on Aug. 27, the Royals (76-65) are 5 1/2 games behind the Guardians (80-59), who have won five of six games, while Kansas City maintains its 4 1/2-game lead to secure the final AL wild card.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro missed his second game following the death of his mother, Dorann Stagnitta. Bench coach Paul Hoover served as interim manager.
Cleveland first baseman Josh Naylor had to be replaced by a pinch runner after a single in the eighth inning due to a lower back injury.
Steven Kwan had a two-run single for the Guardians and Kyle Manzardo had three hits.
Tanner Bibee (11-6) allowed one run and two hits in six innings – only the 39th time a Cleveland starter has pitched six or more innings.
“I thought he was great, he just attacked and threw a lot of strikes,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “Especially after the third, he got going and threw a lot of strikes, kept them off balance.”
Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. had his 57th multi-hit game this season, a major league best.
Brady Singer (9-10) allowed two runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Rocchio’s sacrifice fly in the second and Andrés Giménez’s bloop RBI single in the fifth built a 2-0 lead.
Kansas City had the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth inning, but Tommy Pham failed to ground out to third base on Salvador Perez’s line drive to left. Paul DeJong followed with a sacrifice fly and Bibee struck out MJ Melendez.
“He can throw in the moments that matter,” Vogt said. “Tanner is a great pitcher. He wants those moments, and the fact that he was able to slow down and follow through in that situation was great.”
Bibee is 7-3 with a 2.71 ERA in 14 road starts and the Guardians are 20-7 in his appearances this year.
“I was just trying to hit the next pitch,” Bibee said of the sixth inning. “When I get in big trouble, I feel like I’m trying too hard. I think a goal for me today was just to hit one pitch at a time.”
Rocchio hit his seventh home run of the season in the sixth inning, a two-run drive against Sam Long that landed just inside the foul post in left field. The 23-year-old rookie hit a home run after missing two bunt attempts.
“When I missed the first two bunts, I tried to stay calm and be patient to get the runner to second base. But I have a good swing going,” Roochio said. “Great, because I know if I don’t do something, he might be mad at me,” referring to Vogt.
“When you don’t do your job or don’t get the job done, it’s easy to get depressed and give up on the swing, but he got the pitch and rocked it,” Vogt said.
Rocchio hit a walk with the bases full against James McArthur in the eighth inning, setting a personal best with four RBIs.
Hoover said the royals were applying pressure.
“What you saw in the sixth inning is probably what we need to do hopefully from the first inning onwards, just string together a few at-bats, pass the baton and hopefully the next guy can get the job done,” Hoover said. “We want to be successful, but sometimes we want it so badly that we try to do a little too much.”
TRAINING ROOM
Royals: 1B-3B Yuli Gurriel, acquired from Atlanta on Sunday, is listed as day-to-day absentee with a right hamstring injury. He was replaced Monday after an eighth-inning double and did not play Tuesday.
Next
Cleveland RHP Ben Lively (11-8, 3.92) starts the series finale against Royals RHP Seth Lugo (14-8, 3.12) on Wednesday.
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