CLEVELAND _ For several innings the scoring went back and forth as if a basketball game had masqueraded as a major league baseball contest. Each possession _ in this case each turn at bat _ provided opportunity for a lead change.
Eventually, it looked as if the Royals offense couldn't keep pace anymore, while the Cleveland Indians kept hammering mistakes made by Royals pitchers.
Then Hunter Dozier turned the entire night around and hushed the home crowd with one powerful swing in the ninth inning.
Trailing by three runs in the final turn at bat, the Royals scored five runs _ four coming on Dozier's first big league grand slam _ and collected an 8-6 win in the second game of a three-game series in front of an announced 21,766 at Progressive Field on Tuesday night.
The Royals (28-52) can clinch a series victory with a win in Wednesday afternoon's finale.
Dozier went 1 for 5 with four RBIs, while Whit Merrifield went 2 for 5 and drove in two runs. Cheslor Cuthbert and Humberto Arteaga had two hits apiece for the Royals (27-53). Lucas Duda also had an RBI double.
Martin Maldonado started the ninth inning off with a double down the left field line, and Merrifield followed with a single, his second hit of the night.
After Nicky Lopez's RBI infield single scored Maldonado and pulled the Royals within two runs, Alex Gordon singled to load the bases.
Dozier blasted a no-doubter that traveled an estimated 406 feet off of Indians relief pitcher Brad Hand and gave the Royals a two-run lead _ 8-6 _ before an out had been recorded in the inning.
Royals closer Ian Kennedy pitched a scoreless ninth inning and struck out Indians slugger Carlos Santana swinging to end the game.
Royals starting pitcher Glenn Sparkman gave up seven hits, and three of them left the ballpark. He allowed a season-high five earned runs before manager Ned Yost removed him from the game one out shy of having pitched six complete innings.
It took two batters into the bottom of the first inning for the Indians to build their first lead. Francisco Lindor's leadoff double set the stage for an Oscar Mercado RBI single on the ground that got through the infield and into right field.
That Mercado RBI stood as the game's lone run until the fifth. Merrifield lined a two-run double to center field that gave the Royals a brief one-run lead, 2-1, in the top half of the inning.
However, the Royals weren't able to tack on another run _ Gordon struck out and Dozier grounded out _ and were up by only one run going into the bottom half of the inning.
The Indians started the bottom of the fifth with back-to-back home runs from Roberto Perez and Mike Freeman, both to right field.
The Indians' 3-2 lead lasted all of a half inning. In the top of the sixth, Cuthbert singled with one out and Indians manager Terry Francona called upon left-handed reliever Tyler Olson to pitch to left-handed hitting Duda.
Duda smashed an RBI double off the center field wall and tied the score 3-3. Again, the lead was of a blink-and-you-missed-it variety. Sparkman gave up a two-run home run to Tyler Naquin in the bottom of the sixth, his final inning.
The Indians led 5-3 when reliever Scott Barlow came on with two outs and a runner on in the sixth.
Barlow gave up a solo home run to Santana, his 18th of the season, in the seventh inning to give the Indians a 6-3 lead. The score remained that way into the ninth inning.
