Field Level Media
Sep 4, 2018
Yandy Diaz rapped his first major league homer and also tripled among his three hits, and Mike Clevinger gave up just one run and three hits while striking out 10 in six innings as the host Cleveland Indians routed the Kansas City Royals 9-3 on Tuesday night.
Clevinger (11-7) lowered his ERA to 3.11 while allowing only a solo home run to Alex Gordon. Kansas City had its six-game winning streak snapped.
Diaz, the Indians' designated hitter, scored three runs and drove in two.
Francisco Lindor also homered for Cleveland, his 31st. Jose Ramirez doubled, walked twice and scored three runs, and Jason Kipnis had two hits and drove in two runs as the Indians, runaway leaders in the American League Central, ended a three-game losing streak.
Royals left-hander Danny Duffy, who has struggled mightily this season against the Indians, had a particularly painful night. He lasted only two-thirds of an inning, giving up three runs and four hits, among them Lindor's home run to lead off the game.
After facing seven batters, Duffy (8-12) left with what was later announced as tightness in his pitching shoulder. He dealt with a shoulder impingement earlier in the season.
Melky Cabrera and Kipnis also had first-inning RBIs for the Indians, who added three more runs in the second on a double by Ramirez, for his 96th RBI of the season, a sacrifice fly by Edwin Encarnacion (his 93rd RBI) and an RBI single by Brandon Guyer.
Gordon's 11th home run of the season led off the Kansas City fourth inning, but Kipnis drove in his second run of the game in the bottom of the inning, and Diaz homered with two outs in the fifth to increase the lead to 8-1.
Kipnis, Guyer and Cabrera added two hits apiece among Cleveland's 11. Lindor scored twice to raise his league-leading total to 114.
Royals right fielder Brett Phillips left the game in the third inning with a shoulder injury sustained when he rammed the outfield wall while chasing Ramirez's double in the second.
Phillips' replacement, Jorge Bonifacio, drove in a run in the seventh.
Alcides Escobar and Hunter Dozier each had two of the Royals' five hits. Dozier doubled in the eighth to drive in a run.
--Field Level Media