With wins in three of his previous four starts, Indians ace Corey Kluber looked primed for redemption on Wednesday against the Royals after losing twice to them earlier this season.
Those ambitions cooled when Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar doubled down the left-field line on the first pitch. He then scored when Mike Moustakas singled into right field on the very next pitch.
Then the third inning went something like this: strikeout, single, single, RBI double with a play at home, RBI double, RBI double, walk, groundout. That pivotal inning sent the Indians to a 4-2 loss in the middle game at Kauffman Stadium.
“Fortunately in that third, we had the play where [Jason Kipnis] had the good relay, throws the guy out at the plate to kind of eliminate more, but then after that, [Kluber] really buckled down,” manager Terry Francona said. “We had opportunities, too, and just didn’t do much with them.”
The Royals recorded four doubles against Kluber — matching the total hit against him in five previous away games this season.
Kluber fell to 0-3 against Kansas City this season. He entered Wednesday’s game having not lost a start since giving up five runs in a 7-4 loss to the Royals on May 7.
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