Royals muscle up -- at the plate and on the mound -- to defeat first-place Guardians

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals spent this entire week’s homestand finding creative ways to win with their offense in a slump.

So it was cathartic — for a night — when KC’s young hitters reestablished some of their earlier-season sizzle in a 10-3 home victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Friday at Kauffman Stadium.

It all took place on a celebratory night. The Royals inducted former general managers Cedric Tallis and John Schuerholz into the team’s Hall of Fame, honoring them during a pregame ceremony.

As for the game, start with this: It was a significant win in a critical series. The Royals took down the first-place Guardians for the second time in two days, ensuring, at worst, they’ll get a split in this four-game set.

KC, at 46-38, also continued its swift recovery after a disappointing road trip. The Royals improved to 4-1 on their current homestand, moving themselves back into an AL wild-card spot if the season ended today.

They got there Friday with some pop — and four home runs.

Salvador Perez continued his recent reawakening following a previous June swoon, yanking a second-inning pitch halfway up the lawn in left for a 447-yard shot.

Hunter Renfroe made it back-to-back blasts, going opposite field into the right-field bleachers to give KC a 2-1 lead.

The Royals only added on from there.

Vinnie Pasquantino, Perez and MJ Melendez added RBI singles in the third. Then, in the fourth, Kyle Isbel slugged a 1-2 pitch below the strike zone, golfing it just over the wall in right for his sixth home run of the season.

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