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Today · 7:10 PM ETLineup pendingAL Central

Cleveland Guardians   vs   Kansas City Royals Preview

September 26, 2026

Starting pitchers, lineup status, recent form and weather at Kauffman Stadium.

7:10 PM ET · Kauffman StadiumStats availableLineups not confirmed
T-Score53
Cleveland Guardians
83–76 · 1st AL Central · T-Score 53
–
–––
First pitch 7:10 PM ET
Kansas City Royals
68–91 · 5th AL Central · T-Score 32
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T-Score32
First pitch 7:10 PM ET

Matchup at a glance

PitcherStat calculation
CategoryComparisonWhy
Starting pitcherRoyalsThe starters are close overall, but Wacha owns the better strikeout and control profile.
Offense vs handRoyalsKansas has produced the stronger offense against right-handed pitching.
Team strengthGuardiansCleveland leads 53–32 in T-Score.
WeatherModerate impactA 7 mph wind could modestly increase carry on fly balls.

Starting pitchers

CLE
Tanner Bibee RHP
Tanner Bibee
Cleveland Guardians
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
4.35
128th
WHIP
1.22
79th
K/9
7.02
167th
BB/9
2.67
64th
P-Score53i
FIP
4.59
HR/9
1.43
153rd
OPS/R
0.650
IP
182.0
2026 ERA splits
Home ERA4.11
Road ERA4.22
Last 5 starts
KC
Michael Wacha RHP
Michael Wacha
Kansas City Royals
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
3.33
41st
WHIP
1.11
36th
K/9
7.13
160th
BB/9
2.45
47th
P-Score61i
FIP
4.27
HR/9
1.30
131st
OPS/R
0.797
IP
194.1
2026 ERA splits
Home ERA2.93
Road ERA3.70
Last 5 starts
How the starters differ
·Wacha enters with a 3.33 ERA compared with Bibee's 4.35.
·The WHIP gap favors Wacha, 1.11 to 1.22.
·Bibee enters with a 4.22 road ERA; Wacha owns a 2.93 ERA at home.
Advanced starter metricsERA−, FIP, WAR, career vs opponent
MetricBibeeWachaNote
ERA−10179Park- and league-adjusted; 100 is average.
FIP4.594.27
WAR1.32.4Season value.

How the lineups match the starters' pitch mix

Pitch data coverage: partial. Usage and velocity only.

Bibee arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Cutter24%85.7
Four-seam24%94.0
Sinker21%93.2
Changeup15%80.8
Curveball11%78.0
Sweeper5%82.4
Wacha arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Four-seam27%93.1
Changeup25%80.7
Cutter15%89.5
Sinker14%93.2
Curveball10%75.9
Slider9%84.9

Team OPS vs opposing starter's hand

Guardians vs RHP (Michael Wacha)
25th
in MLB
0.700OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000
Royals vs RHP (Tanner Bibee)
15th
in MLB
0.723OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000

Lineups

Lineup pendingOrder from the stored snapshot; treat as unofficial until the card is filed.Full lineup page
Lineups not announced

Neither club has posted a batting order. Handedness composition, H-Score leaders and batter-vs-pitcher samples appear here as soon as the first order is filed — typically two to three hours before first pitch.

Team comparison

ResultsCLECLE·KCKC
+23018th
Run differential
+14627th
83–76 Record68–91
Last 10 games
Cleveland Guardians (0–0)
Kansas City Royals (0–0)
2026 head-to-head
Season Series
0—0
0 Games Played

Frequently asked

Who is starting for the Guardians?+
Tanner Bibee is listed as the starter.
Who is starting for the Royals?+
Michael Wacha is listed as the starter.
What time does the game start?+
7:10 PM ET at Kauffman Stadium.
Where is the game being played?+
Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals.
Are the lineups confirmed?+
Not yet. Orders appear here when they are posted.
How do the starters compare on P-Score?+
Tanner Bibee is at 53; Michael Wacha is at 61. P-Score is PitcherStat's 0–100 season index for qualified starters.