KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Four outs from a series victory over the defending American League champions, the Royals' bullpen wobbled and then collapsed in a 3-1 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Saturday at Kauffman Stadium.
Joakim Soria coughed up a 1-0 lead in the eighth. Kelvin Herrera surrendered back-to-back solo homers to Carlos Santana and Francisco Lindor in the top of the ninth. In moments, a nearly perfect afternoon in Kansas City had been set ablaze.
Santana hammered a 2-0 fastball that hummed to the plate at 98 mph. Lindor yanked a 91-mph changeup into the bullpen in right field. Herrera, who took the loss, allowed two homers in the same inning for the first time since giving up three to Atlanta on April 16, 2013.
The Royals put two men on base with one out in the ninth. But Eric Hosmer hit into a fielder's choice and Drew Butera popped out. Butera had replaced catcher Salvador Perez after Perez took a foul tip to the left arm.
The Royals (10-19) failed to capitalize on another sterling performance from starting pitcher Jason Vargas. They took an early lead in the fourth inning when Hosmer delivered an RBI single against Cleveland starter Josh Tomlin. Left fielder Alex Gordon preserved the lead with a diving catch that saved two runs with two outs in the seventh. But in a battle of relievers, the Royals' bullpen lost out to the combination of Andrew Miller and Cody Allen, who slammed the door in the eighth and ninth innings.
Hosmer opened the scoring with his single in the fourth, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. The base hit scored Lorenzo Cain, who had doubled to left field with one out.
Vargas allowed four hits in six scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 1.19. The Royals took a 1-0 lead into the eighth inning after a scoreless inning from left-hander Matt Strahm. But Soria was the victim of two soft hits and a sharp RBI single by Jason Kipnis with two outs. Soria would preserve the tie, striking out pinch hitter Lonnie Chisenhall. The Royals were scoreless against Miller in the bottom half of the inning.
The day began with a roster move. The Royals activated outfielder Jorge Soler from the 10-day disabled list and optioned right-hander Miguel Almonte to Class AAA Omaha. In his Royals debut, Soler started in right field and finished 0 for 3.
