The Cleveland Guardians defeated the Kansas City Royals 12-9 Friday night to preserve their one-game lead in the AL Central. Per ESPN, the Guardians' winning margin came in a chaotic fifth inning, where José Ramírez, Chase DeLauter, and Petey Halpin drew consecutive bases-loaded walks. Angel Martínez capped the inning with a two-run double in what ESPN described as a five-run frame.
Austin Hedges and David Fry each homered for Cleveland, per Sportsnet. Martínez finished 2-for-5 with four RBIs total. Ramirez added two more RBIs to the Guardians' total.
Yahoo Sports characterized the game as a loss shaped by "a multitude of mistakes" from Kansas City's perspective, echoing the broader assessment from MLB.com's headline that the Guardians' victory was unsightly—a win achieved more through the Royals' missteps than dominant play.