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Sizemore, Martinez spark Indians over Royals

Aug 26, 2007 - 4:36 AM By Marc Bowman PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- It has been feast or famine for the Cleveland Indians' offense this season. On Saturday, it was clicking on all cylinders.

Grady Sizemore and Victor Martinez each homered and doubled to pace a 17-hit attack as the Indians posted a 9-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night at Kauffman Stadium.

Franklin Gutierrez added two hits and two RBI for Cleveland (71-57), which holds a 2 1/2-game lead over Detroit (69-60) for first place in the American League Central Division. The Tigers dropped the second contest of a four-game set against the New York Yankees on Saturday.

The Indians have scored more than three runs just four times in their last 13 games. But they started off well early in this one, ripping six hits and batting around in the first inning.

"It was good the way they came out swinging," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "Now they have to put days like that together. The guys at the top of the order led us, and Kenny (Lofton) had some good hits for us."

"We can feed off these types of games," Sizemore said. "We want to score early. We'd much rather play that kind of game."

Martinez and Gutierrez both smacked doubles as Cleveland built a 5-0 advantage in the opening frame.

"It's always good to score some runs early," Martinez said. "Especially the way we've been swinging the bats lately."

"We can hit, one through nine," Wedge said. "It's about consistency of approach and giving us the opportunity to score. That lineup you saw tonight has given us more offensively than any other."

Sizemore and Martinez added solo home runs to right field in the second, extending the Indians' lead to 7-0. Lofton, who went 3-for-5, then doubled and scored in the fifth to make it an eight-run margin.

"We've been hitting the ball hard, but right at people," Lofton said. "Tonight, we got the balls to fall in."

"It's nice to score some runs early," Sizemore said. "That makes it a lot easier on the pitchers."

Rookie lefthander Aaron Laffey (2-1) benefited from Cleveland's offensive outburst to pick up his second win in three starts. Laffey, who was recalled from Class AAA Buffalo earlier in the day, allowed just two runs and eight hits - all singles - in six innings, walking one and striking out four.

"Laffey was good," Wedge said. "He did a good job with his changeup and he was able to get his breaking ball over. He had to battle a couple of times and overcome a challenge in the fifth. If it wasn't for that, he could have gone seven."

"I got a little more comfortable every time a run scored," Laffey said. "It was definitely great to have that cushion. I felt great physically, but maybe I felt too great because I was frustrated that I didn't throw a whole lot of strikes. I didn't have a great fastball, but I worked with what I had."

The Indians pounded Royals starter Kyle Davies (1-3) for seven runs and eight hits - including five for extra bases - in two frames.

"That's the first time I've ever went through that many pitches in the first inning," said Davies, who needed 44 pitches to get through the opening frame. "I couldn't throw my curveball over and couldn't establish the slider or the changeup. Big league hitters sit on fastballs. They can hit them. You have to pitch ahead and you have to establish the fastball early."

Righthander Billy Buckner made his major league debut when he replaced Davies to start the third and yielded one run and seven hits.

"He was really impressive," Royals manager Buddy Bell said. "He gave up some hits, but it didn't seem like it bothered him much. He's got a good makeup. Of course, we knew going in that he had some personality. I wasn't surprised to see him handle himself pretty well."

"I was extremely excited," Buckner said of his debut. "My family was here, my mom, dad, sister and grandmother. The first out got my juices flowing and got me excited again."

Emil Brown had a career-high four hits for the Royals, who have lost four of their last six contests.