CLEVELAND _ The Royals played power ball once again and rolled to a 6-4 victory over the Indians in the series opener on Friday.
The Royals trailed 4-0 when Brandon Moss lined a three-run shot into the right-field seats in the fourth.
An inning later, Mike Moustakas tied it with a solo blast, his team-leading 12th home run this season.
The game-winner didn't go over the wall but was well-struck by Jorge Bonifacio, who roped a two-run double in the eighth.
The victory ended the Royals' eight-game losing streak at Progressive Field dating to last year, and the two home runs pushed their seven-game road-trip total to 15.
Bonifacio provided the big blow when he turned on Andrew Miller's slider and drove it over the glove of left fielder Michael Brantley.
The double scored Lorenzo Cain, who had singled and took third when shortstop Francisco Lindor couldn't handle a short hop after a high chopper off the bat of Eric Hosmer. The ball skidded into left field.
Miller got Salvador Perez to pop out to first base, and had Bonifacio down in the count 1-2 before the rookie collected eighth and ninth RBIs on the road trip.
The Indians' lead was 4-0 when Eric Hosmer got the Royals' fourth started with a check swing dribbler that rolled about 20 feet up the third-base line for a hit.
One out later, Bonifacio lashed a single to right. Up stepped Moss and with one swing, the Royals were back in it.
Royals starter Ian Kennedy battled to make his previous outing an aberration. At Minnesota last Sunday, he lasted two innings while surrendering five runs.
That start was Kennedy's first start after a 10-day disabled list stay with a right hamstring strain. After the outing against the Twins, Kennedy worked on mechanics in a couple of bullpen sessions, Royals manager Ned Yost said.
"He was off mechanically, too slow in his delivery," Yost said. "We went back and studied the video. He had two really good sessions in between. He feels good."
When Kennedy departed after five innings and the score 4-4, he had his greatest run support for an outing this season, the most in 11 starts dating to last season. In his first seven starts this season, the Royals had scored a total of seven runs in his 372/3 innings on the mound.
The Royals bullpen finished the job, with Mike Minor striking out three in two innings, Joakim Soria working out of second and third jam in the eighth by striking out Edwin Encarnacion, and Kelvin Herrera collected his 10th save.
The early going amplified a troubling Royals trend.
Whit Merrifield opened the third inning with hustle infield single to shortstop that extended the longest hitting streak of his career to 11. After Alex Gordon flied out to the wall in left field, Merrifield stole second base.
But the Royals couldn't cash. Merrifield moved to third on Alcides Escobar's ground out to first, and was left there when Moustakas struck out against starter Mike Clevinger.
At this point, the Royals were hitless in their previous 35 at bats with runners in scoring position, a streak that ended with Moss' home run.
Conversely, the Indians cashed in on their early opportunities. Lindor ripped an RBI single in the third, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. Michael Brantley followed with run-scoring single and Carlos Santana completed the rally with an RBI fielder's choice.
The inning started when Kennedy walked the eighth and ninth hitters in the order.
Add those three to Jose Ramirez's solo homer in the second and the Indians seemed comfortably ahead 4-0. That's when the Royals started playing power ball.
