The Cleveland Guardians handed the Kansas City Royals a 6-2 loss at Surprise Stadium on Monday in spring training play. Despite Luca Tresh's 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI effort at the plate, the Royals could not overcome a sizable deficit. On the mound, Ryan Bergert turned in a solid outing, working 3.0 innings of 2-run ball with two strikeouts. The Royals finished with 10 hits on the day while holding the Guardians to 9. The loss is a minor bump as the Royals continue fine-tuning ahead of Opening Day. The exhibition season is about preparation, and today provided the kind of reps the coaching staff needs to see.
Key Performers
Luca Tresh was the top performer at the plate, going 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI. His power was on full display throughout the game. The Royals will be hoping for more of the same as the spring continues.
Elias Díaz provided support, going 2-for-2, Gavin Cross also contributed, going 2-for-2, and Brandon Drury chipped in, going 1-for-3. The Royals showed flashes of offense but could not piece together the big inning they needed.
On the other side of the diamond, Steven Kwan led the Guardians offense with a 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI day. Brayan Rocchio also contributed, going 1-for-2 with a home run and an RBI. Rhys Hoskins added a 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI effort as well. The Guardians offense proved to be too much for the Royals pitching staff to contain on this particular day.
On the Mound
Ryan Bergert took the loss after battling through his outing, working 3.0 innings while allowing 2 earned runs on 3 hits with two strikeouts. He threw 47 pitches in the outing. The coaching staff will review his performance as they continue mapping out the pitching plan for the regular season.
The bullpen combined for 5.3 innings of work, allowing 4 earned runs while striking out five. The Royals continue to sort through their relief options as they build their Opening Day bullpen. Every inning pitched in the spring is an opportunity for pitchers to make their case for a spot on the roster when the games start counting.
Among the relievers, Eli Morgan stood out with 1.2 innings of 1-run work, striking out three. It was an impressive showing that could factor into roster decisions.
How It Happened
Guardians got on the board first with two runs in the third inning. Guardians pushed across three runs in the fifth. Guardians plated a run in the sixth. The Royals answered with two runs in the seventh. The Guardians were able to score in three separate innings, keeping the pressure on throughout the contest. The Royals out-hit Guardians 10-9 on the day, with both teams playing clean defense. A crowd of 4,398 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
Despite the result, the Royals will take the lessons learned from this game and move forward. Spring training is about preparation and evaluation, not wins and losses, and the coaching staff gained valuable information about the roster today. There is still time to make adjustments before the regular season begins, and games like this one are part of that process.