Field Level Media
Sep 8, 2020
Maikel Franco's sacrifice fly plated the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as the Kansas City Royals snapped a seven-game losing streak with an 8-6 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday.
Whit Merrifield crushed a three-run homer and Nicky Lopez joined Franco with two RBIs for the Royals (15-28), who posted their first win since a 2-1 victory over Cleveland on Aug. 31.
Francisco Lindor and Carlos Santana each belted a two-run homer and Sandy Leon also went deep for the Indians (26-16), who saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt.
Adalberto Mondesi singled off Adam Cimber (0-1) to lead off the eighth inning before stealing second and advancing to third on Hunter Dozier's base hit. Franco's fly ball to center field was deep enough to plate Mondesi and gave Kansas City a 6-5 lead.
Oliver Perez relieved Cimber and promptly allowed a single to Alex Gordon and a walk to Ryan McBroom before hitting Lopez with a pitch to drive in a run.
The Royals added an insurance run in the ninth inning on Franco's RBI single to center field.
Greg Holland (3-0) picked up the win after striking out three batters in two scoreless innings of work. Scott Barlow permitted an RBI groundout before securing his second save.
Lindor followed Cesar Hernandez's leadoff single in the third inning by depositing a 1-1 fastball from Jakob Junis over the wall in right field to stake Cleveland to a 5-3 lead.
A fielder's choice by Lopez halved the deficit in the seventh before Cam Gallagher's RBI double tied the game later in the inning.
The Indians jumped out to a 2-0 lead as Santana's first-inning blast off Junis landed in the bullpen area in right-center field for his fifth homer of the season and first since Aug. 28. Like Santana, Leon jumped on a first-pitch fastball from Junis in the second to stake the Indians to a 3-0 lead.
Kansas City forged a tie at 3 in the third inning after Merrifield sent a 1-1 changeup from Triston McKenzie over the wall in left field. Merrifield's team high-tying eighth homer of the season brought home Lopez and Gallagher.
--Field Level Media