The Guardians (83-76) visit the Royals (68-91) at Kauffman Stadium for the season’s final series. Cleveland has clinched a playoff spot and leads the White Sox by one game, controlling its own path to the division title; Kansas City will finish last.
Kansas City has scored more runs per game than Cleveland, 4.23 to 4.11, but allows 4.94 per game compared with the Guardians’ 4.09. Cleveland’s bullpen has a 3.48 ERA, sixth-best in MLB, and the league’s best strikeout rate.
Gavin Williams leads MLB with 244 strikeouts and has a 2.92 ERA over his last 11 starts. Cleveland has not announced a starter for the finale; the preview says the choice may depend on whether the Guardians still have something to play for. Kansas City’s Daniel Lynch allowed a career-high nine runs in four innings in his last start, against the White Sox.
