(TSX / STATS) — CLEVELAND — Four batters into the game, there was one out and two ejections, one of which was the 40th of Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost’s career.
“Forty? I didn’t know that,” Yost said. “I think I’ve mellowed over the years.”
Suitably inspired by their feisty manager, the Royals rolled over the Cleveland Indians for the second consecutive day.
Alcides Escobar’s two-run double capped a three-run sixth-inning rally, and Mike Moustakas homered in the ninth inning, lifting Kansas City to a 5-2 victory on Saturday at Progressive Field.
Royals starter Jason Vargas (6-3) pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on nine hits to get the win. Kelvin Herrera pitched the ninth inning to pick up his 11th save.
“Vargas grinded through it,” Yost said. “He made pitches when he needed to and did a good job of maneuvering through the game without his best stuff.”
Vargas is 7-3 in 15 career starts vs. Cleveland and 3-0 with a 3.49 ERA at Progressive Field.
Indians starter Danny Salazar (3-5) gave up four runs (three earned) on four hits and five walks in 5 1/3 innings to take the loss.
“The walks really hurt. He didn’t command the ball the way he wanted to,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said.
It’s the third loss in a row for the Indians, whose home record of 8-13 is the worst in the American League.
The ejections happened fast. Escobar led off the game by reaching first on an error by second baseman Jason Kipnis. Moustakas singled and Lorenzo Cain walked to load the bases with nobody out.
Salazar struck out Eric Hosmer on a called third strike on a checked swing. Third base umpire David Rackley, on an appeal, ruled Hosmer swung. Hosmer yelled and gestured toward Rackley, who immediately ejected Hosmer from the game.
“He was the home plate umpire and missed a lot of them last night,” Hosmer said of Rackley. “Then he missed the first one that comes his way today. Where’s the accountability? We had the bases loaded and no outs. We could have put the game away right there, but that call takes the bat out of my hands. I had enough of it.”
Yost came out to dispute the call as well and he also was tossed.
“I didn’t think (Hosmer swung),” Yost said. “I just didn’t like the call.”
When play resumed, a sacrifice fly by Salvador Perez gave the Royals a 1-0 lead.
Cleveland got the run back almost immediately when Francisco Lindor, the second batter in the bottom of the first, hit his 11th home run over the left-field wall to tie it at 1.
Cleveland took a 2-1 lead in the third inning when Daniel Robertson reached on a bunt single, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Kipnis.
Salazar bobbed and weaved his way through five innings with a 2-1 lead, but in the sixth the Royals batted around and scored three runs. With one out, Jorge Bonifacio doubled and Brandon Moss and Whit Merrifield walked, loading the bases.
Boone Logan relieved Salazar, and Alex Gordon greeted Logan with a single to center, scoring Bonifacio with the tying run. Nick Goody relieved Logan, and Escobar hit a line drive that just eluded the leaping Lindor’s glove and went for a double into the left-center gap, scoring Moss and Merrifield for a 4-2 lead.
“I think he lost it,” Francona said of Lindor. “I’m not sure he needed to jump. It was an awkward play, but those were two big runs.”
Moustakas, leading off the ninth inning, belted his 13th home run off reliever Shawn Armstrong.
NOTES: Indians RHP Corey Kluber is expected to be activated off the disabled list on June 1, and he will start that day against Oakland. Kluber has been on the DL since May 3 with a lower back strain. . . Prior to Saturday’s game the Indians unveiled a statue of Frank Robinson, who in 1975 became the first African-American manager in major league history when he was the player-manager of the Indians. . . Royals OF Alex Gordon was hit by a pitch Friday for the seventh time this season. It’s the 82nd time Gordon has been hit by a pitch in his career, which is a Royals franchise record, and ranks 13th among active players. . . Royals LHP Brian Flynn began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha on Saturday. Flynn has been sidelined since the start of spring training due to a stable lumbar vertebral fracture suffered during the offseason when he fell through a barn roof.
