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FinalFinal lineupsAL Central

Kansas City Royals 4, Cleveland Guardians 2

Final Score and Game Recap

Final score, pitching lines and standings context.

6:10 PM ET · Progressive FieldGame-day snapshotFinal lineups lockedCurrent 2026 season stats — updated Oct 20, 5:00 AM ET
T-Score26
Kansas City Royals
69–93 · 5th AL Central · T-Score 26
4
4–2
FINAL
Cleveland Guardians
85–77 · 1st AL Central · T-Score 40
2
T-Score40
FINAL

Matchup at a glance

PitcherStat calculation
CategoryComparisonWhy
Starting pitcherRoyalsWacha holds a modest edge in P-Score and WHIP, while the ERA gap is small.
Offense vs handRoyalsKansas owns a .727 OPS vs RHP, 13th in MLB; Cleveland ranks 24th vs RHP.
Team strengthGuardiansCleveland leads 40–26 in T-Score.

Starting pitchers

KC
Michael Wacha RHP
Michael Wacha
Kansas City Royals
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
–
39th
WHIP
–
36th
K/9
–
164th
BB/9
–
45th
P-Score61i
FIP
–
HR/9
–
142nd
OPS/R
–
IP
–
Last 5 starts
CLE
Tanner Bibee RHP
Tanner Bibee
Cleveland Guardians
2026 season (MLB rank among qualified starters)
ERA
–
128th
WHIP
–
79th
K/9
–
165th
BB/9
–
63rd
P-Score51i
FIP
–
HR/9
–
149th
OPS/R
–
IP
–
Last 5 starts
How the starters differ
·Wacha averages 1.9 more innings per start.
·Wacha carries a 3.67 road ERA, compared with Bibee's 4.46 mark at home.

How the lineups match the starters' pitch mix

Pitch data coverage: partial. Usage and velocity only.

Wacha arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Four-seam28%93.1
Changeup25%80.6
Cutter15%89.5
Sinker14%93.2
Curveball10%75.9
Slider9%85.0
Bibee arsenal
PitchUsageVelo
Cutter24%85.8
Four-seam23%94.0
Sinker21%93.2
Changeup15%80.9
Curveball11%78.1
Sweeper5%82.5

Team OPS vs opposing starter's hand

Royals vs RHP (Tanner Bibee)
13th
in MLB
0.727OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000
Guardians vs RHP (Michael Wacha)
24th
in MLB
0.706OPS
.600.700.800.9001.000

Lineups

Final lineupsOrder 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

ResultsKCKC·CLECLE
+26126th
Run differential
+29623rd
69–93 Record85–77
Last 10 games
Kansas City Royals Recent form unavailable
Cleveland Guardians Recent form unavailable
2026 head-to-head
Season Series
0—0
0 Games Played

Frequently asked

Who is starting for the Royals?+
Michael Wacha is listed as the starter.
Who is starting for the Guardians?+
Tanner Bibee is listed as the starter.
What time does the game start?+
6:10 PM ET at Progressive Field.
Where is the game being played?+
Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Guardians.
Are the lineups confirmed?+
Not yet. Orders appear here when they are posted.
How do the starters compare on P-Score?+
Michael Wacha is at 61; Tanner Bibee is at 51. P-Score is PitcherStat's 0–100 season index for qualified starters.