Royals vs Guardians, September 25 live game discussion

This is my last game preview for the 2026 Royals calendar. I, along with the rest of the usual suspects, will be posting discussion threads for the playoffs, but even if I think you should pick a team to root for , there just isn't the same emphasis on previewing those games.

Michael Wacha will take the mound for the Royals. He needs to pitch 5.2 innings to reach 200 for the season for the first time in his career. The Royals probably need him to pitch eight or nine if they're going to win the game, based on how atrocious the bullpen has rebounded to be over the past week or so. Lest you doubt me, the team had a 4.03 bullpen ERA until the Pirates series; that's not good, but it's not horrendous. Since then, they have a 6.10 ERA, second-worst in baseball, only to the Angels.

The Guardians will send out Tanner Bibee . I had a sense that I had written about him in a game preview earlier this year. I was right! He faced Wacha back on August 28th, and I had this to say about him then: