Plesac sharp as Indians send Royals to seventh straight loss

Kansas City has lost seven straight games. Plesac (3-1) allowed one run on seven hits in seven innings. The Royals got a run in the eighth on a single by Maikel Franco. Kansas City has scored 10 runs in seven games this season against the Indians, the team with the best ERA in the American League.

Zach Plesac continued to dominate Kansas City as the host Cleveland Indians defeated the Royals 5-2 Monday night. Cleveland is 21-2 this season when scoring three or more runs. The Indians (26-15) moved into a first-place tie with the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central.

Franmil Reyes, who went 10 for 13 against the Royals (14-28) last week in Kansas City, was 2 for 3 with a walk. Kansas City has lost seven straight games.

Plesac (3-1) allowed one run on seven hits in seven innings. He gave up one single in each of the first six innings. He allowed five hits in six scoreless innings in his last outing in Kansas City. Plesac has allowed just five earned runs this season, all on home runs, in 34 innings. Brad Hand earned his 12th save by striking out the side in the ninth.

Brad Keller (3-2) took the loss. He allowed five runs, four earned, on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. The Indians scored twice off Keller in the second. Carlos Santana and Reyes both singled. Tyler Naquin drove in Santana with a ground ball to Whit Merrifield that caromed off Merrifield's glove for an error. Josh Naylor then drove in Reyes with a fielder's choice.

Francisco Lindor led off the fourth with a single. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Naylor. Adalberto Mondesi hit a home run in the seventh for the Royals. His first home run of the season traveled 458 feet, the longest by a Royal this season. He had nearly 80 at-bats without an extra-base hit before a bloop double on Sunday.

The Indians answered with two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a single by Oscar Mercado and a sacrifice fly by Mike Freeman. The Royals got a run in the eighth on a single by Maikel Franco.

Kansas City has scored 10 runs in seven games this season against the Indians, the team with the best ERA in the American League. The Royals have led after an inning just once during their seven-game losing streak (1-0 after the first last Thursday). They're allowing an average of 7.3 runs on 11.6 hits per game during the streak.

--Field Level Media

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