"An unfortunate sacrifice" - Cleveland Guardians star Will Brennan apologizes to PETA after his single killed a bird

Cleveland Guardians star Will Brennan knocked an opposite-field single during the second inning of a game against the Chicago White Sox. An otherwise innocuous play, Brennan finds himself guilty of killing yet another bird. His single struck a bird on its way to the outfield and killed it on the spot.

This is the second bird to have died because of an MLB game recently. Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen hit one with a warmup pitch and now Brennan's hit has claimed another.

The outfielder was rather shocked by what happened and offered an apology to PETA, the animal rights activist organization.

On Twitter, Brennan said:

"I truly am sorry PETA and bird enthusiasts. An unfortunate sacrifice."

Brennan is left-handed, which means a bird sitting in or around the hole between shortstop and third base should be safe. Most left-handed hitters pull the ball, so the bird was obviously not expecting him to go opposite field.

The Guardians would go on to win 3-0 as they continue to climb back into the AL Central race.

The ball left Brennan's bat at 100.1 mph and sent the bird flying. When he got to first base and realized what he had done, he put his hands on his helmet and grimaced. The bird was then removed with a shovel.

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Can the Cleveland Guardians repeat as AL Central champions?

Despite the win, the Cleveland Guardians still are not close to .500. They're 21-26 and already fading. Their 3.5 deficit is only because the AL Central is a weak division. Its leader is Minnesota at 25-23.

Can the Cleveland Guardians rebound?

This means that they can rebound. As bad as they've been, none of their competitors have been any good, either. The talent is there as this is largely the same team that won the division and over 90 games last year.

However, the team that is currently on the field looks nothing like a contender. They need to start playing up to their billing in order to avoid losing the division.