 struck out nine without a walk in his second start since his return from his injury. He struggled in his first game back but dominated the Royals on a picture-perfect night at Kauffman Stadium, improving to 7-0 with a 2.03 ERA in his career against them.''It was by far the best he's been,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said. ''He reached back for a fastball, at times he probably tried to reach back too much. Batted down a ball that he shouldn't have, but he got out of it - got a pop up and a ground ball, so that was good. He could have kept going but I thought that was a good spot for him. We didn't push it too much and he can go from here.'' Danny Duffy (3-5) kept his command issues at bay long enough to last 6 2-3 innings for Kansas City. The left-hander allowed two runs on five hits, five walks and a hit batter.Both starters had stumbled into the game, and the teams had combined for 25 hits in the series opener. So of course that rarest of treats these days would unfold: an old-school pitchers' duel.Duffy retired the first six batters he faced, then kept grinding outs when he couldn't seem to find the plate. And he did it despite two defensive miscues that cost him a run in the third.The first came when Perez appeared to be caught stretching a double into a triple, but Hunter Dozier's high tag allowed him to sip underneath safely. The second flub came when Perez should have been caught trying to score on a wild pitch but again the tag was missed.''Two bang-bang missed tags,'' Royals manager Ned Yost said. ''He couldn't have got away with that.'' There was no one to blame but Duffy for Santana's homer in the fourth.The veteran first baseman cranked a 1-2 pitch into the bullpen in left field to extend his Major League-leading on-base streak to 26 games. It was also the 193rd home run for Santana with the Indians, breaking a tie with Al Rosen for the ninth-most in club history.''I've come to learn that if I hang my slider, it's just a donation,'' Duffy said. ''It's my best pitch when I locate it and it's my worst pitch when I don't. I didn't locate it.'' Duffy was finally lifted after loading the bases with two outs in the seventh inning, but Kevin McCarthy got Santana to ground into an easy putout to keep the Royals in the game.He left trailing 2-0, thought that's hardly new. Only once in the eight starts since Duffy's last win May 19 have the Royals scored more than two runs while he was in the game.Meanwhile, two runs were plenty for Cleveland with Clevinger and Co. on the mound.The right-hander with the funky delivery worked around singles in the first and second, then watched his defense cut down Alex Gordon stretching a single in the fourth. The other hit Clevinger allowed came in the sixth, and he responded with a pair of punch-outs to end the frame.''Ninety-seven miles per hour, that's not easy to hit,'' Yost said. ''He has a really good slider that he commands well. I went over his last start pitch-by-pitch when he didn't last long in Baltimore. He was erratic, all over the place. I was hoping that would be the same today but it wasn't.'' INTERNATIONAL SIGNINGSThe Royals signed 16-year-old outfielders Erick Pena and Roger Leyton, one day after Major League Baseball's international signing period began. Pena, a native of the Dominican Republic, was considered among the five best prospects on the international market. Leyton is from Nicaragua.INDIANS-RAYS TRADEThe Indians acquired utility man Andrew Velazquez from Tampa Bay for international pool money and assigned him to the Triple-A Columbus injured list, where he will rehab left thumb and right hamstring injuries. In a corresponding move, right-hander Chih-Wei Hu was designated for assignment.UP NEXTThe Royals send Homer Bailey (7-6, 4.87 ERA) to the mound and the Indians counter with fellow right-hander Zach Plesac (3-3, 3.61) as the clubs wrap their three-game set with a Thursday matinee.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Surging Indians seek series win in K. C. FLMThe Cleveland Indians started slowly in the first two-plus months of the 2019 season, digging themselves quite a hole. They were just 28-29 at the end of May.However, they are 18-9 since June 1, the best record in the American League in that span.Their latest victory came Tuesday night in Kansas City, where they used a five-run third inning to defeat the Royals 9-5. Trevor Bauer survived a shaky start to pitch six innings of five-run ball and pick up the win.The Indians will send right-hander Mike Clevinger (1-2, 5.89 ERA) to the mound on Wednesday in the middle game of a three-game series.Clevinger is 6-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 10 appearances (nine starts) in his career against Kansas City. The six wins are the most he has against any opponent, and the Royals are one of two teams (Los Angeles Angels) against whom he is undefeated with more than one decision.Clevinger has started just four games this season because of a pair of injuries. His most recent stint on the injured list was because of a left ankle sprain.In his latest start, his first since coming off the IL for the second time, he gave up a career-high seven earned runs in 1 2/3 innings against Baltimore. He walked three and served up five hits, including a home run."It happened quick," manager Terry Francona said. "His stuff was terrific. It looked like he was a little too amped up. Even his delivery, he looked like he was rushing. The ball was coming out great, he just wasn't locating where he wanted to."He had deep counts, and he really paid the price." The Royals will send left-hander Danny Duffy (3-4, 4.43 ERA) to the mound. Duffy is just 2-10 with a 5.68 ERA in 19 career appearances, including 15 starts, against Cleveland. The 10 losses are tied for the most against any opponent (Detroit Tigers). He has not faced the Indians this season.All three runs Duffy allowed in his last outing, a loss at Toronto on Friday, came in the sixth and seventh innings. He pitched 6 2/3 innings and gave up seven hits and one walk while striking out eight."I feel like Duffy was throwing the ball really good," catcher Martin Maldonado said following that game. "I feel like the last couple games we have thrown the ball really good. Just we can't catch a break. Every time we make a mistake, it's a homer instead of a popup or a rollover." Duffy figures to have starting shortstop Adalberto Mondesi in the lineup behind him. Mondesi came off the 10-day injured list prior to Tuesday's game, and he went 1-for-4, but the one hit was a two-run home run. He also earned an RBI on a sacrifice fly.During a two-game rehab stint with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Mondesi was 2-for-9 with a double and a stolen base. He had been sidelined since June 19 due to a groin strain."He wasn't out that long," Royals manager Ned Yost said prior to Tuesday's action. "(We) just wanted to make sure that he was feeling good. (He) stole a base, hit the ball hard, did great defensively, no repercussions. He's ready to go. We're excited to get him back." --Field Level Media
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