Royals 3 - 5 Guardians
Final
  for this game

Kipnis lifts Tribe past Royals

Apr 24, 2014 - 5:12 AM Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Jason Kipnis doubled in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and the Cleveland Indians held off the Kansas City Royals, 5-3, to win the third installment of this four-game series.

Michael Bourn had three hits, including a two-run triple, and drove in two runs, and pinch-hitter Lonnie Chisenhall provided some insurance with an eighth-inning RBI single.

The Indians won for the third time in four games. Cleveland, which bounced back from an 8-2 loss Tuesday, totaled 11 hits.

Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas homered for the Royals, who lost for the third time in four tries following their five-game win streak.

KC starter Jason Vargas allowed six hits and three runs -- two earned in six innings, while Cleveland's Justin Masterson allowed eight hits and three runs -- two earned -- over 6 1/3 innings.

Kansas City went ahead 3-2 in the top of the sixth when a Moustakas single to right field plated Eric Hosmer, but the Indians took advantage of a pair of errors to tie the game in the bottom portion of the frame. Michael Brantley singled with one out, and with two down tried to steal second. The throw from Perez darted into center field, where Jarrod Dyson ran past the ball. That allowed Brantley to come home.

Nick Swisher singled with two outs in the bottom seventh off Kelvin Herrera (0-1). Kipnis then doubled to the gap in right-center to give the Indians the lead.

"Sometimes you need a big hit at a big time, and we got it tonight," Indians manager Terry Francona said.

Chisenhall came up with the bases full in the eighth against Wade Davis and sent a blooper down over the head of third baseman Moustakas, tight to the line. The hit scored David Murphy.

John Axford worked around a single in the final inning to log his eighth save of the year.

Bryan Shaw (1-0) retired Billy Butler on a fly ball to finish the eighth inning, stranding two runners.

Perez and Moustakas hit consecutive homers in the second inning, but Bourn's gap shot to right-center tied the game in the bottom of the frame.

"It's nice to get back-to-back homers...but they came right back," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Game Notes

KC first-base coach Rusty Kuntz had surgery on his broken left arm Wednesday. Kuntz suffered the injury when he was hit by a line drive from Perez during batting practice Monday at Progressive Field ... The Royals went 1-for-9 with men in scoring position ... Both teams left nine runners on base ... Dyson had three of KC's 10 hits.






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