KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Royals starting pitcher Homer Bailey didn't go deep into Thursday's outing, but he left with a lead having minimized damage in a way he couldn't in his previous start.
A grand slam in Toronto changed the entire outlook of that start. This time, Bailey kept the Cleveland Indians from putting any crooked numbers on the scoreboard. However, the Royals' bullpen did not fare nearly as well.
Six of the Indians' eight runs came after Bailey's outing ended. The Royals couldn't cling to a one-run lead, and ultimately fell 8-4 in the series finale in front of an announced 18,076 at Kauffman Stadium on the Fourth of July. Heavy rain delayed the game's start by two and a half hours.
The Indians (48-38) swept the series, and the Royals (29-59) now hit the road for their final series before next week's All-Star break. The Royals, having now lost 10 of 13, won't play at home again until July 12.
Cheslor Cuthbert went 2-for-4 with a double, Cam Gallagher hit his first home run of the season and had two hits, while Terrance Gore doubled and scored a run.
A six-run seventh inning erased the Royals' 3-2 lead and dug a hole they couldn't escape in their final three turns at bat. Four of the runs were earned, and they all came against the Royals' bullpen tandem of Jorge Lopez and Wily Peralta.
Lopez gave up hits to each of the four batters he faced before he got pulled from the game. All four earned runs in the inning came against Lopez. Lopez's trouble started when he gave up back-to-back singles to Kevin Plawecki and Bobby Bradley. Then Tyler Naquin's double to right field scored the tying run.
Francisco Lindor's two-run single put the Indians in front for the first time since the second inning. That marked the end of Lopez's outing. Lopez, who'd posted a 3.79 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in his 10 relief appearances this season, did not record an out.
Peralta, who'd given up five earned runs in his previous 5 2/3 innings, watched the one inherited runner score on a throwing error by Gallagher on an Oscar Mercado sacrifice bunt. Mercado ended up on second base, and he scored on a sacrifice fly two batters later.
Jose Ramirez's second home run of the game closed out the scoring for the inning.
Royals starter Bailey allowed two runs on six hits and two walks in five innings. He pitched into the sixth, but he allowed a leadoff double to Carlos Santana, and Royals manager Ned Yost turned the inning over to left-handed reliever Tim Hill. Hill retired three batters in a row to preserve a 3-2 lead.
The Indians broke the game open in the seventh, and the Royals got one run in the ninth on Gallagher's home run.
