5957
by J.R.
In case you missed it:
Luke Hochevar, Royals hand Indians costly setback
Scoring Summary
CLE KC
1st C Santana hit sacrifice fly to left, E Carrera scored. 1 0
1st J Francoeur doubled to deep right, M Cabrera and E Hosmer scored. 1 2
2nd A Gordon grounded into fielder's choice to second, S Perez scored, C Getz out at second. 1 3
5th B Butler doubled to deep right, A Gordon scored. 1 4
6th J Giavotella homered to left center (404 feet). 1 5
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Game Information
Stadium Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Attendance 27,126 (71.1% full) - % is based on regular season capacity
Game Time 2:19
Weather 77 degrees, rain
Wind 5 mph
Umpires Home Plate - Mike Dimuro, First Base - Tim Welke, Second Base - Andy Fletcher, Third Base - Jim Reynolds
Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Luke Hochevar pitched eight innings of three-hit ball and the Kansas City Royals handed the Cleveland Indians a costly loss, 5-1 on Saturday night.
Hochevar (10-10) allowed an unearned run, struck out eight and walked one while throwing a career-high 117 pitches. The right-hander improved to 5-2 with a 3.51 ERA in 10 starts since the All-Star break.
The Indians lost ground in the AL Central, falling to 6 1-2 games back of first-place Detroit. The Tigers rallied for a dramatic 9-8 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
The start of the game was delayed 20 minutes by rain, and showers caused another 16-minute break in the second inning. But it was smooth sailing from there, at least for the Royals.
Jeff Francoeur hit a two-run double in the first inning to give Kansas City a 2-1 lead. It was Francoeur's 44th double of the season, tying the club record for an outfielder set by Jermaine Dye in 1999.
Alex Gordon added a run-scoring fielder's choice in the second, Billy Butler doubled in a run in the fifth and Johnny Giavotella capped the scoring with his second homer in the sixth.
David Huff (2-3) pitched six innings for Cleveland and was charged with four earned runs and six hits.
Hochevar's only mistake came in the first, when his errant throw on a pickoff attempt allowed Ezequiel Carrera to move from first to third. Carrera then scored on Carlos Santana's sacrifice fly.
Hochevar improved to 1-2 with a 5.31 ERA in three starts against Cleveland this season. Greg Holland worked the ninth to finish the three-hitter and even the weekend series at one game apiece.
Game notes
Chris Getz started at shortstop for Kansas City after Alcides Escobar sprained his left ankle on Friday. Royals manager Ned Yost said he doesn't anticipate Escobar being sidelined for long. To bolster their infield depth, the Royals recalled Yamaico Navarro from Triple-A Omaha. ... The Indians kept SS Asdrubal Cabrera (left knee contusion) out of the lineup, but manager Manny Acta expects him back for the final game of the weekend series. "I'm very confident he'll be able to play (Sunday)," Acta said. ... Indians OF Grady Sizemore, battling back from a right knee injury, was scheduled to play nine innings for Triple-A Columbus on Saturday. Acta hasn't ruled out the possibility that Sizemore could rejoin the Indians sometime next week.