CLEVELAND (Interstat) — Angel Martínez’s eighth-inning grand slam turned a close game into a rout as the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Kansas City Royals 10-2 on Wednesday at Progressive Field, securing a series victory in the three-game set.

The game, played in front of 14,734 fans, was a tale of two distinct phases. For seven innings, the Guardians nursed a lead built on early offense and strong pitching. The final frame, however, saw Cleveland erupt for five runs, highlighted by Martínez’s decisive blast, to turn an afternoon contest into a lopsided evening finale.

Cleveland wasted no time attacking Royals starter Cole Ragans, who took the loss to fall to 0-3. After two quick outs in the first, José Ramírez sparked the rally with a single. A walk to David Fry set the stage for Chase DeLauter, who laced a two-run double to center field. Rhys Hoskins followed immediately with an RBI double, staking the Guardians to a 3-0 lead before many had settled into their seats.

They added another run in the second when Ramírez doubled home Steven Kwan, who had reached on a single. That early 4-0 cushion proved more than enough for Guardians starter Joey Cantillo. The left-hander earned his first win of the season, working five innings and allowing two runs on four hits while striking out six. He effectively muted a Kansas City lineup that managed only five hits total on the day.

The Royals chipped away with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, Maikel Garcia singled and scored on a double by Bobby Witt Jr. In the fifth, a walk to Lane Thomas and a double by Starling Marte, coupled with a fielding error by Kwan in center field, allowed Thomas to cross the plate, cutting the deficit to 4-2.

Cleveland answered immediately in the bottom of the fifth, however, as Hoskins launched his third double of the game and scored on a two-bagger from Juan Brito, restoring a three-run lead at 5-2.

The score remained there until the fateful bottom of the eighth, when the Guardians broke the game open against the Kansas City bullpen. The inning began innocently with consecutive singles by Brito and Austin Hedges. Brayan Rocchio then drove in Brito with an RBI single, making it 6-2. After a walk to Kwan loaded the bases, Martínez stepped in against reliever Tyler Tolbert. On a 1-1 pitch, Martínez connected, sending a towering drive to right-center field for his first career grand slam, a 410-foot shot that put an emphatic stamp on the contest.

The most important part of the game was undoubtedly Martínez’s grand slam in the eighth inning. Until that moment, the Royals, despite being largely stifled offensively, were within three runs and the game maintained a sense of competitive tension. Martínez’s slam was the decisive, game-breaking moment. It transformed a manageable 6-2 deficit into an insurmountable 10-2 chasm, extinguishing any lingering hope of a Kansas City comeback and shifting the narrative from a tight pitchers’ duel to a convincing blowout victory for Cleveland.

The Guardians’ offense was a relentless machine, racking up 16 hits. Hoskins led the charge, going 3-for-4 with three doubles, an RBI and two runs scored. Martínez finished 3-for-5 with the four RBIs on the slam, while Ramírez and DeLauter each contributed two hits and two RBIs. Every Cleveland starter recorded at least one hit.

Matt Festa worked a scoreless ninth to secure the save, his first of the year.

For Kansas City, Witt Jr. collected two of the team’s five hits, including an RBI double. Ragans was tagged with the loss after surrendering four runs on seven hits over just 1 2/3 innings, continuing a difficult start to his season.

With the win, Cleveland improved to 9-5 on the season, while Kansas City fell to 6-7. The victory gave the Guardians two wins in the three-game series after the teams split the first two contests.

The game’s final score of 12 total runs went under the sportsbook over/under line of 7.5, a line surpassed by Cleveland alone. The Guardians also covered the pregame spread, as Kansas City had been installed as a 1.5-run favorite.

Kansas City returns home to open a four-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. Cleveland enjoys an off-day Thursday before embarking on a six-game road trip, starting with a three-game set against the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta on Friday.