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 The Cleveland right fielder homered, and right-hander Trevor Bauer
threw his fifth consecutive quality start as the Indians topped the
Royals 6-2 Thursday night.
The game was halted by rain with out in the bottom of the eighth and
called after a 44-minute delay.
The Indians took two of three at Kauffman Stadium to complete a 5-2
trip. They are 12-4 in their past 16 games. The Royals have dropped
seven of nine, scoring no more than two runs in any of the losses.
Moss continues to torment the Royals, as four of his 10 homers have
come off Kansas City hurlers. His fifth-inning, two-run shot upped
his RBI total to 10 in nine games this season against the Royals.
Moss homered in three of six games this season at Kauffman Stadium.
Since the start of 2014, he is hitting .424 in the regular season at
Kauffman Stadium. He also homered twice for Oakland in the American
League wild-card game last year in Kansas City.
Bauer (5-2) limited the Royals to four hits and two runs for 6 2/3
innings, but his pitch count rose to 102 with four walks and five
strikeouts.
"Early on, he had some walks," Indians manager Terry Francona said.
"Other than that, he was really good. He really competes, uses his
pitches, established his fastball. Again, it seems like as the game
progresses, he gets a little bit stronger."
Bauer is 3-1 with a 1.73 ERA in his past five starts.
With right-handers batting only .134 off Royals right-hander Chris
Young, Francona stacked his lineup with six left-handed swingers and
one switch hitter.
The strategy paid off in a four-run third. Left fielder David Murphy
hit a two-run double to straightaway center, and second baseman
Jason Kipnis and designated hitter Michael Brantley added
run-scoring singles. All of the RBIs came from left-handed hitters.
"The ball Murphy hit was up," Young said. "He's a high-ball hitter.
Maybe I should have thrown it higher, but if he takes it for a ball,
I'm behind in the count."
The Royals cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning when
center fielder Lorenzo Cain hit a two-run homer. Cain crushed a
Bauer 95 mph fastball on a 1-1 count, propelling it an estimated 422
feet out to center.
After Cain's blast, first baseman Eric Hosmer walked and designated
hitter Kendrys Morales singled, but Bauer prevented further damage
by retiring left fielder Alex Gordon on a grounder.
"He left a pitch over to Cain," Francona said. "After that, he was
really good."
The Indians hiked their lead to 6-2 in the fifth on Moss' two-run
homer. After Brantley walked to lead off the inning, Moss fouled off
four consecutive pitches before depositing a Young 86 mph fastball
over the right field fence.
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"I felt like I made some great pitches to him, but he fouled them
off, fouled them off," Young said. "The ball he hit wasn't a
horrible pitch, up and away, and to get the head out and pull it for
a home run, he's so strong.
"He's aggressive; he's got a good eye. He's just a good hitter. When
he's locked in, he's a tough out regardless of how you pitch him.
When you don't have a put-away pitch, like tonight, it makes it a
little more challenging.
Young was removed over 94 pitches and five innings. He gave up six
runs on eight hits, including four for extra bases, and his ERA
jumped from 1.55 to 2.56. In his past two starts, Young has
permitted 10 runs on 15 hits, including three home runs, in 11
innings.
"I wasn't as sharp as I'd like to be," he said. "But when I made
pitches, I felt like they fought it off and fouled it off and took
some good ones. They were better than me tonight.
"I wish I'd been able to hold them closer to give the team a chance,
but it wasn't my night."
Royals manager Ned Yost said, "He made two pitches that hurt him --
the double to Murphy and the home run to Moss. Both pitches caught
pretty much the heart of the plate. Those two pitches ended up
costing him four runs."
NOTES: Royals LHP Danny Duffy and RHP Kris Medlen, who are on the
disabled list, each threw a three inning, 45-pitch simulated game
Thursday. Duffy will throw a side session Saturday and if all goes
well could begin a minor league rehab assignment next week. Medlen,
who did not pitch last year after elbow surgery, will return to
Arizona to continue rehabbing. ... Michael Brantley was back in the
Indians' lineup after a day off Wednesday and served as the
designated hitter for the fifth time this season. ... C Salvador
Perez returned to the Royals' lineup after not playing Wednesday. He
was woozy after being struck in the chin by a foul tip Tuesday. He
went 0-for-3 Thursday, striking out once. ... The Royals continue
their homestand with a weekend series against the Rangers. RHP
Edinson Volquez, who is 4-1 with a 2.19 ERA in six Kauffman Stadium
starts, pitches Friday against Texas RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez.
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