KANSAS CITY (Interstat) — Vinnie Pasquantino hit two home runs, including a go-ahead drive in the eighth inning, and the Kansas City Royals edged the Cleveland Guardians 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium. The game took 2 hours, 8 minutes and drew 22,827. Kansas City improved to 70-93, while Cleveland fell to 88-78. Nate Pearson earned the win in relief, Lucas Erceg recorded his 13th save and Austin Peterson took the loss.

Pasquantino’s second homer broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth and provided the decisive run. He also homered in the fifth, giving Kansas City a short-lived lead. Salvador Perez opened the scoring in the first with a single that scored Maikel Garcia, who had walked. Jac Caglianone doubled in the first and singled in the third, while Kyle Isbel singled in the second and sixth. Garcia added two walks and a single. The Royals finished with nine hits, matching Cleveland, and did enough late to win the series finale after dropping the first two games of the series.

Cleveland answered with solo power. Daniel Schneemann homered in the third to tie the game after Kansas City’s first-inning run. Jo Adell homered in the sixth to knot the score again after Pasquantino’s fifth-inning shot. Adell also singled in the first, part of a nine-hit attack for the Guardians. David Fry had two singles, Nathaniel Lowe singled and Angel Genao singled. Petey Halpin singled in the third and reached on an error in the fifth. Schneemann added a ninth-inning single. Cleveland stranded chances, especially in the sixth when it put runners on second and third with one out but could not push across the go-ahead run.

Kansas City’s bullpen protected the late lead. Daniel Lynch IV, Connor Thomas, Nolan Hoffman, Nate Pearson and Lucas Erceg all pitched for the Royals. Pearson got the win, and Erceg worked the ninth for his 13th save. Erceg allowed a two-out single to Schneemann before inducing Halpin’s popout to third baseman Maikel Garcia in foul territory to end it. Austin Peterson took the loss for Cleveland, and Parker Messick also pitched for the Guardians. The Royals’ relief work made Pasquantino’s second homer stand.

The game featured several defensive swings. Kansas City turned a double play in the second when Garcia threw to Tyler Tolbert and on to Pasquantino, erasing David Fry and Angel Genao. Cleveland turned a double play in the sixth, with Genao starting a shortstop-to-second-to-first combination to Travis Bazzana and Lowe, wiping out Isbel and Garcia. In the fifth, Tolbert’s throwing error allowed Halpin to reach, but Halpin was caught stealing second by catcher Luke Maile and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. A seventh-inning replay challenge overturned a call at first and turned a Halpin grounder into an out. Those plays kept the game tight.

Cleveland’s first inning ended quietly after Adell’s two-out single. Angel Martinez grounded out, Bazzana flew out and Lowe grounded out after Adell reached. Kansas City then took the lead in the bottom half when Garcia walked, Witt flew out, Caglianone doubled and Perez singled in Garcia. Pasquantino flew out and Isaac Collins grounded into a force out to end the inning. The Royals had a chance for more but could not capitalize.

In the second, Fry singled for Cleveland before Genao grounded into a double play and Austin Hedges grounded out. Kansas City put two runners on in the bottom half when Isbel singled and Garcia singled, but Witt grounded into a force out to end the threat. Cleveland tied it in the third on Schneemann’s homer. Halpin followed with a single, but Martinez flew out, Bazzana popped out and Adell grounded into a force out. Kansas City put runners on in the third when Caglianone and Collins singled, but Tolbert grounded out.

The middle innings moved quickly. Cleveland managed only Genao’s single in the fourth, with Lowe grounding out, Fry striking out and Hedges striking out after Genao reached. Kansas City got a two-out walk from Garcia in the fourth, but Witt struck out. In the fifth, Schneemann flew out, Halpin reached on Tolbert’s error, Martinez flew out and Halpin was caught stealing. Kansas City then took a 2-1 lead on Pasquantino’s first homer. Collins walked, but Tolbert grounded out.

Cleveland responded in the sixth. Bazzana popped out, Adell homered to left-center, Lowe singled and Fry singled. Lowe advanced to third and Fry to second on an error by Isbel, giving the Guardians runners on second and third. Genao grounded out to first baseman Pasquantino, and Patrick Bailey struck out swinging. Kansas City then got a leadoff single from Isbel in the bottom half, but Maile flew out and Garcia grounded into a double play.

The seventh brought another key moment. Schneemann flew out, Halpin grounded out after a Royals challenge overturned the call at first, and Martinez struck out. Kansas City went down in order in the bottom half when Witt flew out, Caglianone flew out and Josh Rojas was called out on strikes. Cleveland threatened in the eighth when Adell walked with one out, but Lowe flew out and Fry grounded out.

Pasquantino then delivered in the eighth. His second homer, a drive to right field, put Kansas City ahead 3-2. Collins flew out, Tolbert struck out and Isbel struck out. In the ninth, Genao popped out, Bailey struck out and Schneemann singled before Halpin popped out to Garcia in foul territory. The Royals improved to 70-93 and Cleveland fell to 88-78. The game was played in the afternoon and lasted 2 hours, 8 minutes.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Cleveland Guardians 10, Kansas City Royals 6. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Cleveland with a 55.4 percent probability to win. Cleveland had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score was 5, and the over/under line was 8.5.