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Moustakas, Royals even series with Indians

May 30, 2012 - 4:02 AM Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Mike Moustakas drove in a career-high four runs to power the Kansas City Royals to an 8-2 win over the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field.

Alex Gordon and Johnny Giavotella both had two hits and an RBI for Kansas City, which rebounded from Monday's 8-5 loss to even this three-game set.

The Royals have won three of four overall.

Will Smith (1-1) earned his first major league win by limiting Cleveland to two first-inning runs. He gave up four total hits and struck out five over six frames.

Justin Masterson (2-4) was tagged for eight runs -- seven earned -- on nine hits in six innings to absorb the loss, the fourth in five games for the Indians.

Smith got knocked around by the New York Yankees in his big-league debut last Wednesday. He gave up five runs and six hits, including three homers, in only 3 1/3 innings of work.

The beginning to the 22-year-old southpaw's second outing was unsettling, with the Indians tying the game five batters into the bottom of the first.

Shin-Soo Choo and Jason Kipnis drew consecutive walks to start the inning, and both men wound up scoring.

Asdrubal Cabrera, back in the Cleveland lineup as the designated hitter after missing the previous three games with left hamstring tightness, singled to load the bases, and another base hit by Jose Lopez drove home Choo.

Smith finally recorded an out when Michael Brantley grounded into a fielder's choice, but Kipnis scored on the play.

"It was real shaky in the first to the point where we got (Vin) Mazzaro up, but then [Smith] kind of got after it. I think he calmed down a little bit," said Kansas City manager Ned Yost.

Eric Hosmer singled to spark a five-run second inning for Kansas City. Masterson then hit Alcides Escobar with a pitch before Jarrod Dyson's sacrifice bunt advanced the runners.

The Royals retook the lead on Humberto Quintero's ground ball to first base. Lopez fired home in an attempt to negate a run, but Hosmer slid around catcher Luke Carlin's tag. Gordon and Giavotella slapped back-to-back RBI singles before Moustakas, who clubbed a two-run homer to right-center field off Masterson in the top of the first, plated a pair with his two-out single to right.

"The second inning pretty much sucked the energy out of everybody," said Cleveland manager Manny Acta.

Kansas City tacked on a run in the sixth when Dyson singled, stole second and scored on a base hit from Quintero.

Game Notes

The Indians had won four straight at home...Masterson, who recorded eight strikeouts and didn't walk a batter, went 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA in five starts against the Royals last season...Cleveland still leads the season series, 5-3...Kansas City right fielder Jeff Francoeur went 0-for-4 to snap his road hitting streak at 10 games.