Cleveland, OH – Asdrubal Cabrera capped a 10-run fifth inning with a grand slam as the Cleveland Indians thumped the Kansas City Royals, 15-3, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Progressive Field.
Cabrera finished with three hits and three runs scored and Matt LaPorta ripped a pinch-hit, two-run double for the Indians, who have won four of their last five games. Shin-Soo Choo added a two-run single and Jack Hannahan contributed three hits, including an RBI double.
Zach McAllister (6-8) allowed three runs on five hits and two walks over 6 2/3 innings to earn his first win since Aug. 11.
"I feel like we're just being more patient and taking better at-bats," Hannahan said. "We're doing what the pitcher allows us to do and using all fields, just being more selective at the plate."
Alex Gordon crushed a two-run homer and Tony Abreu added an RBI base hit for the Royals, who have lost seven of their last eight games.
Luke Hochevar (8-16) was pounded for nine runs on nine hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings.
Cleveland opened the scoring in the second inning as Hannahan ripped a one-out single up the middle, went first-to-third on a base hit by Casey Kotchman and scored via a single into right by Lou Marson.
The Indians exploded for 10 runs in the fifth. Choo began the inning with a double to right and stole third without a throw. Jason Kipnis then got a fastball down from Hochevar and golfed it into the right-field corner for a ground-rule double.
Cabrera followed with a bunt single to put runners on the corners and Hannahan doubled home Kipnis. Brent Lillibridge walked to load the bases and Kotchman grounded into a fielder's choice to bring home Cabrera.
Marson walked to load the bases again and Jason Donald was plunked, forcing in Hannahan before Choo ripped a two-run single up the middle in his second at- bat of the inning for a comfortable 7-0 lead.
Everett Teaford replaced Hochevar on the mound and walked Kipnis before Cabrera finished off the monster inning with his second career grand slam over the left-field wall.
"There was just nothing we could do," Royals manager Ned Yost said of the Indians' 10-run fifth. "We didn't have any offense up to that point. If the game was closer, we might have been able to take it in another direction."
Kansas City got on the board in the sixth after Gordon smashed a two-run shot into the right-field seats, making it an 11-2 game.
Abreu ripped an RBI single to left in the Kansas City seventh, but LaPorta answered for the Tribe in the bottom half, making it a 13-3 game.
Cleveland finished off the rout with a pair of runs in the eighth as Marson beat out an infield single and scored on a hit by Cord Phelps. Donald, who singled into left, scored on a wild pitch by Louis Coleman.
Game Notes
Sunday marked the first time the Indians scored 10 runs in one inning at Progressive Field since August 13, 2006, also against the Royals ... It was the third grand slam for the Indians this season ... Kansas City fell to 12-10 in rubber games this season ... Despite the loss, the Royals won the season series, 10-8.
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