CLEVELAND -- In the first game of an important series with divisional and playoff implications, the Royals delivered in the biggest of moments.

MJ Melendez homered and made a spectacular run-saving catch before Bobby Witt Jr. put the exclamation point on the early portion of the day with a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning of the Royals’ 4-3 win over the American League Central-leading Guardians in Game 1 of Monday’s doubleheader at Progressive Field.

“It’s early, it’s a doubleheader day after a day game and travel, and the guys came ready to play,” starter Cole Ragans said after leaving Monday’s start with a left calf/hamstring cramp “… I think it’s a huge win. Obviously everybody knows: It’s a division rival, it’s a big game, it’s almost September. We all think about that. But at the same time, it’s taking it day by day, game by game. And we focused on the first one. Now we’ll get ready for the second.”

Cleveland jumped out to a lead in the second inning against Ragans, who battled his command through four-plus innings, but Melendez flipped a two-run deficit into a one-run lead with his three-run homer in the fourth inning. The Royals outfielder sent an elevated fastball from Guardians reliever Eli Morgan out to right field, watching it hit the barrier just above the outfield wall. After the umpires convened to rule it a double, Kansas City challenged and saw it quickly overturned for a three-run homer.

Melendez hadn’t come through in the first inning when the Royals had two on with two outs, so when Vinnie Pasquantino reached on an error and Salvador Perez singled in the fourth, Melendez wanted to make sure another opportunity didn’t pass.

It was the Royals outfielder’s 17th homer of the year and second in as many days. Melendez has had his ups and downs in 2024, but in 48 games since June 14, he’s slashing .279/.333/.558 with 11 doubles, 10 homers and 24 RBIs.

“The whole year, we need to win every game,” Melendez said. “But especially now, more than ever, it feels -- it’s real. It’s a real thing. So just go up there and try to help the team win.”

Melendez helped at the plate, and an inning later, he helped in the field. In the bottom of the fifth, Melendez laid out for an inning-ending diving catch that briefly preserved the Royals’ 3-2 lead.

Melendez ran 90 feet in under five seconds to chase down a fly ball by Guardians slugger Jhonkensy Noel. As Melendez neared the left-field line, he launched himself into an all-out dive and came up with the baseball to end the inning and strand two runners.

“I was already thinking, ‘All right, I got to try to throw this guy [out] at home,’” Witt said. “And next thing you know, he’s diving and making a play. It was awesome.”

The Royals’ dugout erupted. Reliever James McArthur tipped his cap as he walked off the field.

“As an outfielder, honestly any position, you have to feel like you can get to anything,” Melendez said. “That’s what goes through my head. Any time there’s a ball in the air toward me, in my direction, I just feel like I can get to it. Just really not giving up on it. I was playing a little bit in the gap. Just trying to stay with it, and glad that it was able to hang up in the air a little longer.”

After the Guardians tied the game up in the seventh with Josh Naylor’s RBI single that snuck through a drawn-in infield with José Ramírez on third, it was Witt’s turn for a big moment, launching a slider from Hunter Gaddis out to the bleachers in left field.

Witt’s 27th homer of the season -- also his second in consecutive days -- was just the fourth home run Gaddis has allowed this year.

“He doesn’t give up much of anything,” Quatraro said of the Guardians reliever. “Bobby’s a special player. Salvy [who doubled two batters later] is a special player. They do things in big moments.”

After two days of bullpen implosions, the Royals allowed just one run in five innings against the Guardians on Monday afternoon. John Schreiber recorded five outs and earned the win.

Closer Lucas Erceg worked around a one-out walk to Ramírez in the ninth inning and recorded his 11th scoreless outing since becoming a Royal last month.

“I’m glad we got him,” Quatraro said. “That’s all I can really say. That’s why we got him, that’s what you hope for, but nothing’s guaranteed in this game. I’m super glad he’s on our team.”