Indians take on Royals again in Cleveland

Dominican right-hander Fausto Carmona can keep the game weekend set at Progressive Field.

The Indians stayed within 6 1/2 games of the first-place Detroit Tigers on Friday night, when they marked Jim Thome's heralded return to Cleveland with a 2-1 victory.

Ubaldo Jimenez (2-1) allowed just one run on seven hits while fanning 10 to earn the win in the opener of this set.

Thome, donning an Indians uniform for the first time since 2002, went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, but undoubtedly lent life to a frenzied, sold-out Progressive Field.

Jack Hannahan hit a game-tying RBI single in the seventh and Ezequiel Carrera drew a bases-loaded walk later in the frame for the Indians, who had lost six of their last seven games.

In the ninth, the Royals placed the tying run at third, but Chris Perez settled to record his 28th save of the season.

Felipe Paulino (2-6) allowed two runs on six hits and four walks over 6 2/3 innings to suffer the loss, although Tim Collins issued the walk to Carrera.

Eric Hosmer hit his 12th home run of the season for Kansas City.

Meanwhile, Carmona is 6-5 in 17 career meetings with the Royals with a 4.64 earned run average in 95 innings.

He last faced them on July 31 in Cleveland and dropped a 5-3 verdict after allowing six hits and four runs in 7 1/3 innings.

The 27-year-old is 1-1 in four starts since while allowing 23 hits and 11 runs in 27 2/3 innings.

The Indians are 11-13 in his 24 starts in 2011.

For the Royals, rookie lefty Danny Duffy tries to snap a four-start skid.

The 22-year-old was 3-4 on the season after a defeat of the Indians and Carmona in the aforementioned July 31 matchup in which he allowed eight hits and two runs in five innings.

He's 0-4 since while seeing his earned run average swell from 5.05 to 5.48.

Kansas City is 4-13 in Duffy's 17 starts.