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Tribe shoot for another win under Alomar vs. Royals

Sep 29, 2012 - 1:06 PM (Sports Network) - Right-hander Jeanmar Gomez will try to make it two straight for the Cleveland Indians under new interim manager Sandy Alomar Jr. Saturday, when they host the Kansas City Royals in the middle game of a three-game weekend series at Progressive Field.

The Indians won Friday's opener, 8-5, a day after Alomar was hired to replace Manny Acta, who was dismissed after leading the Indians to an American League- worst 65-91 record through Wednesday.

Jason Kipnis knocked in three runs for the Indians and Shin-Soo Choo went 2- for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.

Cleveland left-hander David Huff (3-0) pitched well enough to earn the win in just his third start of the year. He pitched six innings of three-run ball. Huff allowed eight hits, but struck out five and walked none.

Cord Phelps and Ezequiel Carrera each had an RBI for the Indians, who have won three in a row.

Royals starter Will Smith (6-9) lasted three-plus innings, giving up six runs on nine hits, while striking out two and walking a pair.

Gomez, who's started 16 times in 19 appearances this season, pitched a scoreless inning of relief against the Royals in his last appearance on Sept. 22.

It was his eighth career meeting with Kansas City, against whom he is 2-3 with a 4.46 ERA in 34 1/3 innings.

Gomez dropped a 5-2 decision at Texas one appearance earlier on Sept. 12 and hasn't won since tossing 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball in a 4-3 defeat of the Rangers on Sept. 1 in Cleveland.

He went five innings and gave up five runs on 10 hits in a 6-3 loss to the Royals on May 30 in Cleveland.

Kansas City goes with 22-year-old righty Jake Odorizzi, who makes the second start of his career - both of which have come against the Indians.

The Illinois native dropped a 15-4 decision to Cleveland in his big-league debut on Sept. 23 in Kansas City after allowing three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings with a walk and three strikeouts.

Odorizzi was a supplemental draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008 and was acquired by the Royals in the December 2010 deal that sent Yuniesky Betancourt and Zack Greinke to the Brewers.

Odorizzi was 15-5 in 26 minor-league appearances this season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha.

The Royals won nine of the initial 15 games between the teams in 2012, including two of three in a series at Kansas City from Sept, 21-23.