Michael Wacha Shuts Down the Guardians and Carter Jensen's Sixth-Inning Bomb Is the Difference

Michael Wacha looked like a guy who came to work Monday night at Progressive Field. The Kansas City Royals' right-hander mowed through seven innings of strong baseball, and when you pair that with timely hitting, you get a 4-2 road win over the Cleveland Guardians in the opener of a three-game series.

Here's how it unfolded: Steven Kwan got the Guardians going early with a solo homer in the third, a 381-foot shot that hooked inside the foul pole in left. That was Wacha's only mistake in the first stretch, which made what happened next even more impressive. The Royals scratched back in the fourth when Jonathan India ripped a sharp, two-out single to score Vinnie Pasquantino and tie it up at 1-1.

The real damage came in the sixth. Carter Jensen crushed a fastball off rookie Peyton Pallette deep into the right field stands for a go-ahead solo shot, putting Kansas City up 2-1. Then India struck again in the eighth, this time taking Kolby Allard deep to left for a two-run homer that made it 4-1 and essentially sealed it.

Wacha's Seven Innings Set the Tone

Wacha (1-0) finished with one run allowed on three hits. He struck out three and walked three, controlling the game the way a veteran pitcher should. The Guardians managed only four hits total and never really threatened after those early moments. Lucas Erceg closed it out with a clean ninth for his third save in three opportunities.

Cleveland's only other run came off Brayan Rocchio's solo homer against Matt Strahm in the eighth, but by then the game was already decided.

Ramirez Makes History, Guardians Struggle to Generate Offense

Jose Ramirez appeared in his franchise-record 1,620th game for the Indians/Guardians, walking twice and going 0-for-2. The seven-time All-Star surpassed Terry Turner for the mark after spending all 14 of his major league seasons with the organization. It was a nice moment for a Cleveland icon, even if the team couldn't give him a win to go with it.

Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt Jr., Jensen and India each collected two hits for Kansas City. For the Guardians, Kwan accounted for half of their four-hit output. Gabriel Arias left the game in the fifth with left hamstring tightness after injuring himself running to second base on a double.

The Royals are rolling early. Wacha is locked in, and Kansas City is finding ways to win on the road. That's how you build momentum in April.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.