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Cleveland Indians give Corey Kluber plenty of help in 12-1 blowout

By Jim Ingraham, The Sports Xchange
Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber throws a pitch in the first inning. UPI/John Angelillo
Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber throws a pitch in the first inning. UPI/John Angelillo | License Photo

CLEVELAND - Corey Kluber's teammates have owed him a game like this. Wednesday they delivered.

Kluber came within two outs of his first career shutout, and the Cleveland Indians hit three home runs in a 12-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field.

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"It was one of those days. This happens every once in a while," said Royals manager Ned Yost, whose team has the best record in the American League (61-39).

The Indians have scored 16 runs and been shut out four times in Kluber's 11 losses, but offense was not a problem Wednesday as they banged out a season-high 18 hits, including four home runs in snapping their six-game losing streak and Kansas City's four-game winning streak.

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"We haven't had an offensive game like this all year," said Indians center fielder Michael Bourn, who matched his career high with four hits.

The Indians, who went 1-6 on their homestand, halted an eight-game home losing streak, their longest since 1975.

"We needed a game like this on a number of fronts," Indians manager Terry Francona said.

The right-handed Kluber (6-11) pitched a five-hit, 112-pitch complete game, with six strikeouts and one walk.

"He set the tone early and didn't give them anything," Francona said. "He had something for everything. He was really in control."

Royals right-hander Jeremy Guthrie (7-7) gave up eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. Guthrie held the Indians to two runs on four hits through five innings, but the roof caved in during the sixth inning.

"It was classic Guthrie for the first five innings," Yost said. "A lot of traffic in the first two innings. Then he settled in, but it kind of came apart in the sixth."

Leading 2-0, the Indians blew the game open with a six-run sixth inning, which began with Guthrie striking out catcher Yan Gomes. Rookie third baseman Giovanny Urshela hit his third home run, over the left-field wall.

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Guthrie then gave up consecutive singles to Bourn, left fielder Tyler Holt and second baseman Jason Kipnis. The hit by Kipnis drove in Bourn with Cleveland's fourth run.

Rookie shortstop Francisco Lindor followed Kipnis' single with a towering fly ball into the seats down the right-field line -- a three-run blast that gave the Indians a 7-0 lead. It was his fifth home run.

Left fielder Michael Brantley made it back-to-back homers when he hit his eighth home run, over the right-field wall.

"It was nice to get those runs," Kluber said. "Up until then it was a close game; but, when you get a cushion like that, it allows you to go out and attack hitters."

The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Gomes got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. That 1-0 lead marked the first time the Indians had a lead in the seven-game homestand.

Gomes was one of three Cleveland hitters who got hit by pitches. Francona was ejected from the game in the fifth inning. Guthrie hit Brantley with a pitch but was not ejected by home plate umpire Tom Woodring, who issued a warning to both benches in the second inning when Kipnis was hit by a pitch. Francona argued the non-ejection of Guthrie but was instead ejected himself.

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A sacrifice fly by Lindor in the second inning gave the Indians a 2-0 lead. Kluber, who was 0-3 with a 5.85 ERA in three prior starts against Kansas City this season, completely shut down the Royals' lineup.

"They had some success against me this year so I tried to change speeds early on them more than I did in the other games," said Kluber, who retired the first 12 batters.

"Kluber was very good. His velocity was up, he was hitting his spots, had a good curve, his location was good," Yost said.

The Indians added four more runs in the ninth off right-hander Luke Hochevar, two on a home run by Gomes.

Kansas City's only run came on an RBI groundout by right fielder Alex Rios with one out in the ninth.

NOTES: The Indians recalled OF Tyler Holt from Triple-A Columbus. Holt fills the roster spot created by the trade of OF David Murphy to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday. ... SS Eric Stamets, acquired by the Indians from the Angels in the Murphy trade, has been assigned to Double-A Akron. ... Royals hitters have been hit by pitches 53 times -- the most in the American League. It matches the Royals' total for the entire 2014 season. The Royals are on a pace to get hit by pitches 87 times, which would threaten the club record of 89 set in 2007.

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