Cleveland Indians: Indians Start Poorly and Lose to the Royals

8 - 18 - 10     at Kansas City     L, 9 - 7     49 - 71

     The Indians' 120th game of the season was by far their worst.  The Tribe did not pitch well and they played awful defense, and, to make the loss even more frustrating, the offense made a late rally that fell just short becuase of the early hole Cleveland had dug for themselves.
     The Indians' defensive ineptitude began early as the Tribe practically handed the Royals a 1st inning run.  Gregor Blanco hit a lead - off double and advanced to third base on a grounder to third.  The reason for that was Andy Marte's inability to properly hold Blanco before making his throw across the diamond to first base.  Blanco eventually came home on Billy Butler's sacrifice fly.
     Thanks to Shelley Duncan and his solo home run to left field in the 2nd, Cleveland was able to tie the score temporarily.
     Kansas City began to put the game on ice over the next few frames.  The home squad put a pair on the board in the 2nd courtesy of a walk, a double, and a two - run triple off the bat of Mitch Maier.  In the 4th, the Royals tallied twice more in large part due to Marte (again) and his failure to snare a grounder that turned into a two - run single.
      The Indians tried desperately to get back in the thick of things starting with Asdrubal Cabrera and his RBI double down the left field line in the 5th and continuing with Chris Giminez's two - out, two - run double in the 6th.  However, every time the Tribe inched closer, Kansas City pulled farther away, and after Yuniesky Betancourt blasted a solo homer in the bottom of the 6th, the visitors were behind by a 9 - 4 count.
     In the 8th, Cleveland tried one final time to salvage a victory from the firm grasps of defeat.  Marte partially redeemed himself for all of those bad plays by lacing a double, and Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin - Soo Choo hit back - to - back, two - out, RBI hits, accounting for three runs.  That, though, still left the Indians down by two runs, and when the final out was recorded, the situation had not changed.
     Fausto Carmona took the loss, and what was once a promising season is quickly deteriorating.  Carmona's record is now 11 - 11 and his E.R.A. has ballooned over 4.