Kansas City @ Cleveland preview
Progressive Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 25, 2010 ) Kansas City 1, Cleveland 7
The Cleveland Indians have yet to find a way to beat Bruce Chen this season. If they want to stay out of the basement in the American League Central, they're going to have to come up with a solution.
The Indians look to put a little distance between themselves and the Kansas City Royals today when the teams meet in the finale of their four-game series at Progressive Field.
Cleveland moved one-half game ahead of Kansas City for fourth place in the AL Central with their second straight victory on Saturday, a 7-1 triumph.
Shin-Soo Choo went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and rookie Jeanmar Gomez allowed one run over five innings to snap a personal five-game losing streak as the Indians rallied for three runs in the third and four in the fourth en route to the win.
Choo, who is 7-for-8 with four RBIs in his last two games, is hitting .385 (25-for-65) with four home runs and 20 RBIs in 17 contests against the Royals this season.
Zack Greinke was battered for seven runs and 11 hits in just 3 2/3 innings. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, Greinke fell to 2-9 on the road this year in losing to the Indians for the first time in 11 outings.
Cleveland, which is 9-8 vs. Kansas City this year, has not posted a victory over Chen in four meetings this campaign. Chen is 3-0 with a 5.27 ERA in two starts and two relief appearances against the Royals, allowing eight earned runs and 13 2/3 innings.
Chen, who will be making his 22nd start in 2010, has gone 3-2 with a 7.01 ERA in eight career games - four starts - against the Indians.
A winner of his last three decisions, Chen allowed three runs and four hits in six innings of a 9-6 victory at Detroit on Tuesday. The 33-year-old has posted a 6-4 record and 4.03 ERA in 15 games - four relief appearances - on the road this year.
Chen will be squaring off against Fausto Carmona, who is 1-0 with a 1.66 ERA in his last three starts. The right-hander allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings but settled for a no-decision in a 6-4 loss at Minnesota on Tuesday.
Carmona halted a personal six-game losing streak with a complete-game shutout against the Twins on Sept. 10.
In 12 career starts and two relief appearances against Kansas City, Carmona is 5-4 with a 4.88 ERA. He is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in three meetings with the Royals this season, allowing 10 earned runs over 16 2/3 frames.
Alex Gordon has done well against Carmona throughout his career, collecting 12 hits in 22 at-bats (.545).
The 26-year-old Carmona has posted a 6-9 record and 3.89 ERA in 18 starts at home in 2010.