What is the Kansas City Royals record in 2026?

The Kansas City Royals are 5-6, 2nd in the AL Central.

Who is pitching for the Royals today?

Cole Ragans (0-2, 3.60 ERA) vs Joey Cantillo (0-0, 3.00 ERA). First pitch at 01:10 PM EDT.

What channel is the Royals game on today?

Today's game airs on Guardians.TV Presented by Progressive, Royals.TV. First pitch at 01:10 PM EDT.

Kansas City Royals News & Updates

April 08, 2026

The Kansas City Royals were 5-6, 2nd in the AL Central. Yesterday, the Kansas City Royals were edged out by the Cleveland Guardians 1-2 at Progressive Field.

Royals Daily Vibe Check

47°

▼23

Lukewarm

slipping in the division

Hard to read this team right now. They've dropped to 2th. The standings reflect the struggles. And going 3-4 lately. That drags everything down.

Share your team's vibe check · smallballnews.com

Royals Game on April 08

Opponent:	Cleveland Guardians (7-5)
Location:	Progressive Field
First Pitch:	01:10 PM EDT
Pitching Matchup:	Cole Ragans (0-2, 3.60 ERA) vs Joey Cantillo (0-0, 3.00 ERA)
TV Broadcast:	Guardians.TV Presented by Progressive, Royals.TV
Forecast:	☀️ Clear sky, 40°F, Wind 9 mph

Royals Score & Recap

Yesterday, the Kansas City Royals were edged out by the Cleveland Guardians 1-2 at Progressive Field.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1
	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	2	8	0

Highlights

Carter Jensen went 1-3 with 1 HR and 1 RBI.

Royals Record & Standings

AL Central

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
Guardians	7	5	.583		W1
Royals	5	6	.455	1.5	L1
Twins	5	6	.455	1.5	W2
Tigers	4	7	.364	2.5	L3
White Sox	4	7	.364	2.5	L2

Kansas City Royals are 3-4 in their last 7 games, with a +3 run differential.

Royals Player Stats & Leaders

Batting Leaders

Player	HR	AVG	OPS	RBI
28 Kyle Isbel	2	.429	1.146	5
22 Carter Jensen	3	.259	.953	6
11 Maikel Garcia	1	.310	.864	7

Hot Hitters

Player	Streak
22 Carter Jensen	3 hits, 2 HR, 2 RBI, .375 AVG in last 3 games

Hot Pitchers

Pitcher	Streak
55 Cole Ragans	6.0 IP, 8 K, 0 ER in dominant recent start
52 Michael Wacha	6.0 IP, 7 K, 0 ER in dominant recent start

Royals News

The Kansas City Royals' bats froze in a brutal 2-1 walk-off loss to the Guardians, a game that exposed the team's ongoing offensive struggles despite the season's early promise. Rookie Carter Jensen's third home run of the year gave the Royals a fleeting 1-0 lead, but the one-hit performance in frigid conditions left fans frustrated and questioning the roster's composition. With Michael Massey's return from the IL adding another layer of complexity to the lineup, it's clear that the Royals must shake off their offensive malaise to compete effectively in the AL Central. As the team sits at 5-5 with a promising recent run differential of +9, they must capitalize on their running game improvements and find a way to sustain momentum. With the Guardians up next, the pressure is on to rebound and avoid another damaging defeat.

Sources

MLB.com

Amid historically frigid conditions, Royals' bats go cold in walk-off loss

CLEVELAND -- Numbers don’t always tell the story of a baseball game, but sometimes they help. The Royals mustered just one hit on Tuesday afternoon in their 2-1 walk-off loss against the Guardians at Progressive Field. It helped that the one hit was a home run, but not that it

MLB.com

Royals' running game already better thanks to new routes, data

This story was excerpted from Anne Rogers’ Royals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Kingsofkauffman

Royals' lack of major offseason splash harshly exposed in painful loss to Guardians

The Royals lost in crushing walk-off fashion to their AL Central rivals in the Guardians on Tuesday and their offense was frustratingly inefficient once again.

Kingsofkauffman

Michael Massey's Royals return creates an awkward roster puzzle

The Royals welcomed Michael Massey back from the IL on Monday. His return however, has made their major league roster make-up a bit more confusing.

Royals Review

Royals bats as cold as the Cleveland air, Royals lose 2-1

In the second inning, Rookie of the Year candidate Carter Jensen crushed a belt-high cutter to the empty right field bleachers for a line drive home run. The homer was Jensen’s third of the year, and put the Royals ahead 1-0 against their divisional rivals, the Guardians. But that hit turned out to be the […]

Royals Review

Royals vs. Guardians Game 11 Thread

It’s my first regular season gamethread of the year. We’ve made it! Last week’s Tuesday was an off day, so it’s the first Tuesday game of the year. Honored to be back. Now, we will all be watching this one from the comfort of our homes and, let’s be honest, offices. But if you made […]

Royals Upcoming Schedule

The Kansas City Royals host the Chicago White Sox for a 4-game series starting Thursday.

About Small Ball

This Kansas City Royals digest was built by Small Ball to save you from bouncing between five apps to follow your team. It's fan-run and made to deliver what matters each morning.

Got thoughts? Tell us. Want to support it? Ko-fi tips help keep it running.