Royals’ Bruce Chen beats Indians 6-2, to avoid 3-game sweep

Royals beat Indians 6-2, avoid three-game sweep

CLEVELAND — Kila Ka’aihue hit a go-ahead double in the seventh inning to help Bruce Chen and the Kansas City Royals beat the Cleveland Indians 6-2 Sunday.

Chen (9-7) allowed two runs and six hits over six innings as the Royals avoided a three-game sweep and pulled two games ahead of last-place Cleveland in the AL Central. Kansas City is 5-17 on the road since July 8.

Mike Aviles blooped a one-out single to center off Fausto Carmona (11-13) and scored on Ka’aihue’s drive into the left-center gap to put the Royals ahead 3-2.

Mitch Maier and Brayan Pena each had two RBIs for Kansas City, which also got a ninth-inning run on a wild throw by shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, his first error in 34 games since July 21.

Joakim Soria struck out the side in the ninth in a non-save situation. The right-hander has 36 saves in 38 chances and a team-record 28 straight, but had not worked since Wednesday.

Cleveland’s final seven batters all struck out.

Jesse Chavez pitched a scoreless seventh, throwing a called third strike past Cleveland pinch-hitter Michael Brantley with runners on second and third to end it. Blake Wood struck out the side in a perfect eighth.

Carmona lost a career-high fifth straight start as the Indians had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Jason Donald, an injury replacement for Cleveland in the fifth, hit a two-run homer in the sixth to tie it at 2.

Donald came on when first baseman Matt LaPorta left with a strained left hip after a flyball out to end the fourth. LaPorta had arthroscopic surgery on the hip Oct. 14. Donald went to second base as Andy Marte moved from third base to replace LaPorta and Luis Valbuena switched from second to third.

Chen walked two and struck out four, bouncing back from a bad outing Monday in Detroit in which he walked five and gave up five runs over 4 1-3 innings in a 12-3 loss. The left-hander is 3-0 this year against Cleveland.

Brayan Pena hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to put Kansas City ahead in the fourth. Maier followed with another sac fly for a 2-0 lead.

Maier hit his fifth homer in the eighth off Tony Sipp. Pena had an RBI single in the ninth against Hector Ambriz.

Carmona gave up three runs and six hits over 6 2-3 innings. The right-hander, an AL All-Star, is 0-5 with a 5.97 ERA in five starts since beating the Boston Red Sox, 6-5 on Aug. 2. Carmona dropped four straight starts from May 22 to June 7, then went 7-3. He has a decision in 19 consecutive starts, going 7-12 since pitching 6 2-3 innings May 17 in an 11-inning loss at Tampa Bay.

NOTES: Indians great Bob Feller, 91, watched from his customary seat in the press box. The third-oldest living Hall of Famer had missed five games while having treatment for leukemia. “I feel better and the doctor’s say it is treatable,” Feller said. … The Royals activated RHP Robinson Tejeda and put RHP Kanekoa Texeira on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Saturday, with a strained right elbow. Tejeda had missed 27 games with a strained right biceps. … Royals RHPs Luke Hochevar (elbow) and Gil Meche each pitched two scoreless innings for Triple-A Omaha on rehab assignments Saturday. … Sipp has yielded 11 homers in 50 2-3 innings. The lefty picked off two baserunners in his last two outings against the Royals.