Scott Kazmir stood in the infield with his hands on his head, eyes wide and mouth agape. The Indians’ left-hander stared in disbelief after Royals catcher Salvador Perez was ruled safe on a leadoff triple in the sixth inning on Monday night.
“That changed the game,” Kazmir said.
On this evening, that was the beginning of the Tribe’s unraveling.
In the opener of a critical three-game series, Perez’s triple ignited a three-run outburst that sent the Royals on their way to a 7-1 rout at Kauffman Stadium. Kazmir was solid enough on the mound, but James Shields and Kansas City’s pitching staff were overpowering in dealing the Indians a lopsided loss.
Cleveland missed chances on the field, but also missed an opportunity to move up in the standings.
After the sloppy loss, the Indians (81-69) remained a half-game back of a Wild Card spot, thanks to Texas’ loss to Tampa Bay, which holds a one-game lead on the Rangers for the AL’s top Wild Card position. Led by Shields, Kansas City moved to 2 1/2 back of Texas, which has dropped seven straight games to lose what once appeared to be a firm grasp on a playoff berth.
The Orioles and Yankees — also very much in the Wild Card mix — were idle on Monday.
There was a stretch of time, while fleeting, in which the Indians were tied with the Rangers for the American League’s second Wild Card spot on Monday night. The moment officially passed for the Tribe when it limped to the loss column.
“I don’t know if we can win every game,” manager Terry Francona said. “I think we’d like to, but sometimes you’re going to get beat.”
The Indians got the full picture on Monday as to why the Royals remain very much in contention.
Shields struck out a season-high 10 batters to help Kansas City set a nine-inning franchise record with 17 strikeouts, which also equaled Cleveland’s nine-inning club record for strikeouts by its offense.
“I think winning the first game of the series is big,” Shields said. “Obviously, we still want to win series. Every game is important. This is what we live for. This is what you play for. September baseball. Hopefully, we get a shot to go to the playoffs.”
The Royals also showed off their speed, taking three bases (via two fly balls and a wild pitch), advancing from first-to-third base three times, reaching twice on errors, collecting two triples, stealing one base and notching an infield hit.
“They give themselves opportunities,” Indians designated hitter Jason Giambi said. “With their starting pitching and bullpen, you’re going to win a lot of games doing that. They put it on us tonight. You take your cap off. They played great baseball.”
Shields (12-9) defeated the Indians for the second straight start, scattering six hits in six innings. Cleveland’s lone breakthrough came in the fifth inning, when Lonnie Chisenhall launched a leadoff home run — the third baseman’s 11th of the season.
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