Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Corey Kluber tossed 8 1/3 innings of one- run ball and the Cleveland Indians defeated the Kansas City Royals, 4-1, in the rubber match of a three-game set.
Kluber (8-6) struck out 10, scattered four hits and walked one for the Indians, who have won four of their past five games.
"I don't blame them," Indians manager Terry Francona said of the crowd booing him when he took Kluber out in the ninth. "If I was managing with my heart, I would've left him in there."
Yan Gomes smacked a two-run homer and Carlos Santana added a solo shot in the triumph.
Danny Duffy (5-8) fanned six, but allowed four runs on 10 hits over six innings for Kansas City. Mike Moustakas whacked a solo blast in defeat.
The Indians opened the scoring with three runs in the second.
Santana launched an opposite-field leadoff shot into the bullpen in right, Ryan Raburn followed with a single and Gomes belted his two-run blast that just cleared the wall in center two batters later.
"I left a couple of pitches up and they capitalized," said Duffy. "I'm not happy with myself about the second inning."
Kansas City got on the board in the fifth, but Cleveland got the run back in the home half of the frame.
Moustakas cracked his one-out solo homer that just stayed fair down the right- field line before three straight one-out singles by Jason Kipnis, Asdrubal Cabrera and Michael Brantley in the bottom half plated a run to give the Tribe a 4-1 advantage.
The Royals did not put a runner into scoring position against Kluber from there until Eric Hosmer doubled to start the ninth. Kluber then struck out Salvador Perez before being lifted for Cody Allen, who recorded the final two outs to pick up his ninth save of the year.
Game Notes
Prior to the game, the Indians placed outfielder Michael Bourn on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain ... The Indians went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
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