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Indians complete sweep of Royals

Apr 15, 2012 - 11:14 PM Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Shelley Duncan blasted a three-run homer and scored three runs as the Cleveland Indians pounded out 15 hits in a 13-7 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium.

Travis Hafner finished 3-for-4 with a home run, Casey Kotchman added three hits, including a two-run homer, and Jason Kipnis had a solo shot for the Indians, who completed a three-game sweep of the Royals.

Shin-Soo Choo and Michael Brantley contributed two RBI apiece, while Jack Hannahan and Lou Marson each knocked in a run for Cleveland.

"I feel great and really have a good approach at the plate," Hafner said. "The swing feels good, so I'm in a good spot."

Ubaldo Jimenez (1-0) gave up four runs on nine hits and three walks over five innings to earn the win. He also struck out five.

Chris Getz went 3-for-5 with two RBI, while Brayan Pena had four hits and an RBI for the Royals, who have dropped five of their last six games.

Luis Mendoza (0-2) was rocked for nine runs -- five earned -- on nine hits and four walks in four-plus innings.

Kansas City opened the scoring in the second inning, plating three runs. Mike Moustakas opened the frame with a double to right and Pena followed with a single to put runners on the corners. After Mitch Meier lined out, Alcides Escobar picked up his teammate with a double to left, scoring Moustakas. Getz came up two batters later and brought in Pena and Escobar with a single into right field.

Cleveland roared back with six runs in the third to grab a 6-3 advantage.

Brantley began the two-out rally when he reached on an infield single and Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a base hit before both runners came home on a double to right by Choo. Hafner then drew an intentional walk and Duncan followed with the big blow -- a three-run shot over the left field wall.

Kotchman kept the inning going by working a walk and Kipnis followed with another walk before Hannahan brought home Kotchman with a line single to left for the Indians' sixth run of the inning.

Getz led off the Kansas City fourth with a triple and trotted home on a groundout by Eric Hosmer to pull the Royals within 6-4, but the Tribe got the run right back in the fifth, plus three more to take a comfortable 10-4 lead.

Hafner starting the inning by cracking a hanging breaking ball from Mendoza about 12 rows back in right field to make it 7-4. Duncan walked and Kotchman singled to center to put two runners on with no outs. After Kipnis and Hannahan struck out, Marson ripped a double to left to plate Duncan and Brantley followed with a double to score Kotchman and Marson.

Kansas City got one run back in the sixth when Alex Gordon drew a leadoff walk and scored on a single by Billy Butler later in the frame.

Kotchman and Kipnis blasted back-to-back homers in the Indians' eighth to make it 13-5.

The Royals capped the wild offensive game with two runs in the bottom of the ninth on a pair of RBI singles by Moustakas and Pena.

"They (the Indians) just did a good job of putting together big innings," Gordon said. "You could sit here and say what we didn't do, but it's what they went out and did. They came out here and swept us and put it to us."

Game Notes

Prior to Sunday's game, the Royals recalled reliever Louis Coleman from Triple-A Omaha and optioned outfielder Jarrod Dyson to the farm club...Jimenez improved to 2-0 in two career starts against Kansas City...Cleveland went 5- for-12 with runners in scoring position, while Kansas City drove in just six of 19 men in scoring position and stranded 10.