A three-run seventh inning put the game away for the Cleveland Indians (71-71) as they fought off a late comeback effort to defeat the Kansas City Royals (84-59) 8-3 Monday night at Progressive Field.
With the Royals having pulled to within a run in the top half, Cleveland's offense exploded for three in the bottom of the seventh inning with only one man out. With runners on first and second following a double and a walk, Lonnie Chisenhall delivered his third RBI of the night with a seeing-eye single into right field that scored Michael Brantley (video). Yan Gomes then followed with a double to right to drive in Carlos Santana and Chisenhall.
Cleveland added a run in the bottom of the eighth on Francisco Lindor's RBI triple to make it 8-3, which ended up the final score. Lindor, thinking the ball was over the fence, went into a trot too early and had to stop at third when Alex Rios got the ball back to the infield; a full run would have allowed Lindor to score on an inside-the-park home run.
The Royals put two men on in the ninth but went down quietly.
Kansas City pulled close in the top of the seventh with consecutive two-out RBI singles from Alex Gordon and Ben Zobrist. Lorenzo Cain then hit the ball well but flew out to end the inning and the threat with his team down 4-3.
Gordon led off the game by smacking the first pitch into the right-center-field stands for a solo home run (12) (video).
Cleveland tallied single runs in innings 1, 3, 4, and 5. Jason Kipnis homered (8) in the bottom of the first (video), and Giovanny Urshela followed suit (6) in the fourth (video). Chisenhall lined an RBI double off the right-field wall in the third (video) and picked up a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Carlos Carrasco (W; 7-2, 3.62 ERA) pitched six very strong innings, allowing one run on five hits, including Gordon's lead-off home run. He walked two and struck out nine. Four Indians relievers combined for three innings of two-run ball with Jeff Manship closing it out with 1 1/3 innings.
Edinson Volquez (L: 13-8, 3.59) allowed four earned runs on seven hits in five innings pitched. He walked three, stuck out four, and served up both home runs. The normally very reliable Kelvin Herrera gave up all three seventh-inning runs.
With the loss, combined with a likely Minnesota Twins win (7-1 lead as the Royals/Indians game ended), the Royals' magic number for clinching the A.L. Central remains at 11.
The Indians move to within four games of the second A.L. Wild Card position pending the outcome of the Houston Astros at Texas Rangers game. The Indians, though, have two other teams (Twins and Los Angeles Angels) in between them and Texas.
On Tuesday, Kansas City will send Kris Medlen (3-1, 4.58) to the mound against Cleveland's Josh Tomlin (5-1, 2.85). The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. EDT.
